The Call of the Sea
by Melissy123
Summary: This story follows the books but with a twist. Mags had a daughter. She too had been thrown into the Hunger Games and emerged a victor, and it was she that volunteered for Annie that day. She wasn't going to allow her mother to do it, and she certainly wasn't going to watch Annie go back to that place again.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, here we go. I'm actually posting another story, this is just so unlike me. I admit the name isn't the best, I can never think of good names for a story but oh well, it's done now, it will have to do. I'd just like to say that I don't hate Annie, her and Finnick are adorable but, my brain came up with an idea and well, every story needs a complication or two. Also, if anyone actually ends up reading this, if you want to post a review that'd be awesome. There is nothing more encouraging than someone, anyone actually reading and liking something that you've written. Please though, no hate, even constructive criticism will bring me done so none of that either. **

**(If there are a few grammatical errors just cruise on by them, I tried to edit it but I probably missed a couple, particularly to do with tense and the district numbers. I am a hundred percent sure that I switched between using actual numbers and the words more than a few times. My apologies for that in advance.)**

**All credit goes to Suzanne Collins for writing the Hunger Games and inspiring us to write this stuff.**

**PART I**

**CHAPTER 1:**

District Four was a beautiful place, there could be no denying it. With their primary industry being fishery, water was not difficult to find. The blue of the oceans, rivers and lakes sparkled underneath a warm sun, the people thrived, generally happy and healthy (when the Capitol was not attempting to interfere and expand their power), the shrubbery bloomed, hunger was rarely an issue, it was a good life. Until the annual reaping ceremony.

Statistically, district four had done fairly well in regards to victors. There had been many, and some rather unforgettable faces had originated from their district. But no parent enjoyed seeing their child off into the brutality of the Hunger Games, none ever came out the same. In there, it was either kill or be killed. Mags could account for that herself. The eighty-two year old was more than just a living legend, more than just the oldest surviving victor in Panem, she was a mother too, and not even she had been spared the trauma of sending a child into the Games.

Her daughter, her beautiful, strong daughter, with long caramel brown hair, highlighted blonde by the sun, just like her father's had been, running down her back in waves. Her daughter, who she had trained herself since she was just a little girl, happy and carefree she loved the ocean more than anything. _Her one and only daughter, _was reaped at just sixteen. It was older than she was when she went into the Games, and older than a number of her competition, but it was different when it was your own child_._ In her eyes, she was still just a baby. She, unlike many from their district, had not volunteered. She had trained only to ensure that she was ready in the worst case scenario, but Kailani Allyn had never desired such glory, the thought of killing the other tributes pained her, it did not, however, stop her. Armed with the double-sided spear she preferred, Kailani killed eight of the other tributes in the end, that was a third of the entire field. Kailani was smart, she kept away from the Cornucopia and the bloodbath, in an arena with a large river winding through the middle, she knew how to survive without the supplies awaiting them, tempting them to risk their lives in the initial battle. She kept to the connecting streams, fought past the obstacles that were thrown at her, and even then, with her smile and determination continued to charm the sponsors into sending gifts. She was a dangerous opponent, and her competitors knew it. Mags remembered clearly the moment her daughter was first attacked. It changed the entire game.

They were on the fourth floor of the training centre, as was allocated to them. It was she, another mentor- he was her daughter's best friend, they had known each other since they were just small children, and Finnick Odair had won the games two year before- as well as both of their prep teams, and escort. It was only early, the sun barely haven risen when the alliance of four were noticed, creeping silently towards a sleeping Kailani. She was alone in the arena, she had made no alliances, even the male tribute from their own district had left her on the off, preferring to join with the careers, she was a sitting duck, or so she had made it seem. The male from district one stepped in the wrong place, he was not paying as much attention as he should have, none of them were, and as soon as he did, a net wrapped around him and hoisted him into the air- it was just as Finnick had taught her. Before the others even had time to register what was going on, Kailani was on her feet and the female tributes from one and two were lying dead at her feet, their throats slit and blood dripping from both ends of her spear. You had to be fast to catch fish, and she was one of the quickest in the district. Unfortunately, her last opponent knew that, he was from district four as well. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as they fought, it was much too even a battle for any of their likings. Finnick switched often between screaming curses at the television screen and sitting in a tense silence. Mags however, watched the events unfold in a deathly stillness. It was only when, finally, Kailani impaled her enemy through the heart and he collapsed to the ground, did she, and everyone else, let out breaths of relief. The camera focussed on her face, but it was terrifyingly blank, not even when she killed the male from district one, still ensnared in her net, did she bat an eyelid. It was wrong. No one dared speak a word because they just _knew_ they had witnessed a change in the girl who had always smiled. But that was what the Hunger Games did, it changed people. With all the death and killing, it was no surprise.

Kailani would go on to win those Games, and by all accounts, it was one of the quickest in history, but by no means was it considered unsatisfying for the Capitol. It was as brutal and horrific as ever, and after killing another two tributes out of self-defence, and the last two in one final battle to become victor, Kailani became the shining star of the Games. But she was different. Mags had mentored a number of victors in her time, she had seen them break, seen them fall into depression, seen them pretend everything was alright, however, this was not any tribute, this was her daughter, her only child, and the pain she felt at witnessing her broken form returned to them was like nothing she had ever experienced, it was almost crippling. She did not cry, she barely said anything, for her the Games were not yet over, there was still so much to do and she had to remain strong. She refused to break, _she would not break._ Not even she could stop herself from shaking as her mother hugged her though, she had made it out alive, for a time, that was all that mattered. Only when they returned home, when Finnick was finally convinced to leave and Annie Cresta was persuaded into visiting another time, did Kailani break down into sobs and fall into her mother's arms, as if she were a lifejacket keeping her from drowning. Maybe she was. It took weeks for her to recover, and in all that time, she never left their little shack by the sea, nor would she accept any kind of visitors. Finnick was going out of his mind with worry, not even his yells at her window would rouse her. All Kailani wanted to do was hide away, ride out the storm of her emotions until it passed by unseen. It would be twenty-two days since she had returned home, before she finally emerged, her eyes tired, her limbs weak, but a small smile on her face. The storm had passed, or at least, it had calmed. Kailani Allyn would recover, but she would never be entirely the same. Like so many others, her nights would always be haunted.

Annie Cresta emerged worst off than most. A kind, sweet girl, her parents had never taught her to fight, she survived the Games only by chance. When an earthquake broke the wall of a dam, a rush of water flooded the entire arena, and as a girl from district four, Annie was the only swimmer strong enough not to drown. She became the victor, but after witnessing the decapitation of her district partner before her very eyes, it was as if something within her snapped, her brain could not handle the pressure. She was not crazy though. Some thought she was, she would have her moments where mid-conversation she would break off, her eyes would glaze and she would no longer be aware of her surroundings, sometimes she would laugh when nothing was funny or squeeze her eyes closed, clap her hands over her ears and block out the entire world, but she was still Annie. Kailani had known her for years, and she _knew_, with absolutely no doubts that her friend was not crazy. The doctors labelled it as post-traumatic stress, that at least was preferable to insanity. It took some amount of effort, but over the months following her win, they managed to coax the Annie they knew back out of her shell. The process was hard-going, there were parts of her that just could not be retrieved no matter how hard they tried, it all became easier though when she and Finnick began to fall in love. Kailani saw the change in their relationship as clear as day, it was so obvious. She could not pinpoint the _exact_ moment where it happened, but she would always remember the day where she first noticed it, where everything she had seen over the months clicked into place. They were walking on the beach together, their hands linked, their faces alight with happiness. She knew her stomach had sunk, her mind had dismissed anything between her and Finnick a long time ago, her heart however, was a different matter entirely. She could not keep the smile from her face as Annie bounced up to her and told her the good news though. She was so much like herself again, it was hard for her to not be happy. As long as they were happy, then whatever she felt did not matter. That night, alone in her room, she was so happy she cried.

If only everything had been that simple.

They were supposed to be perfect for each other. That was what everyone had thought, but it seemed the Hunger Games had done more damage to Annie Cresta than any of them had ever realised. Darkness lingered within her. The kind of darkness heavy with resentment and anger, darkness that did not enjoy being hidden away. It was as much a part of her as her kindness was, she had accepted that, but she had never intended for anyone else too. Not that that made her actions any more acceptable. She could have sworn that when Kailani walked in on her having sex with a district four man, a man that was clearly _not_ Finnick, her friend very nearly killed her. Brown eyes darted around the room, looking for some kind of weapon, it was as if she was in the Games again, to their relief, she found none. Both of them may have been victors, but Annie did not make a single kill, she ran away and hid in the corner of the arena, tears streaming down her face. Kailani had _survived_. She had killed and fought, and she was just as dangerous as she was then. Never claiming to be anything more than a coward, her partner moved quickly, and jumped out of the window, disappearing into the bushes as fast as his legs would possibly take him. Kailani let him go, perhaps she was planning on dealing with him later, after all, she clearly had more pressing matters to deal with, namely, some kind of explanation. That was fair, Annie supposed. Her voice was cold as she spoke, she knew the tone had shocked her friend, but no more than the explanation would. She did not deny the situation, she did not beg for forgiveness, she merely gave the truth: sometimes she needed more than the undying love Finnick had for her, sometimes it was a lot to handle. That was not the explanation Kailani had been hoping for, she was seething, she wanted her to tell Finnick the truth. Annie wondered if perhaps her anger was directed towards more than just her affair, she was not foolish enough to ask though, that would most certainly get her killed. It was as if her anger flipped a switch within her though. She felt her hardened exterior melt away and terror flooded her body in its place. She was what everyone else considered normal again. Even still, she did not try to defend her actions as Kailani's gaze softened, instead, she asked her to keep, just this one secret for her. She knew it was harsh, but she pointed out that Finnick would be devastated if he knew. That won her over. Even when she caught her on countless more occasions, Kailani kept her secret.

That should have been it, that should have been the end of their problems, but then it came, the announcement no one had been expecting.

It was no secret that President Snow was said to be furious over the events of the previous year. Two winners in one Games, the Capitol had been humiliated by Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark of District Twelve. They had outsmarted them, made them the laughing stock of Panem, and even worse than that, last year had seen a change. Discontent was bubbling under the surface of the districts, the scent of rebellion was in the air, and the Capitol had to do something to stifle it. The Third Quarter Quell, marking the 75th Hunger Games, provided a perfect opportunity. The Quarter Quells occurred every twenty-five years, and were a reminder to _everyone_ that the Capitol still held all the power, that they were in control, that it was the rebellion of the districts so many years ago that resulted in the Hunger Games being born. The Quells saw the usual rules of the Games changed or altered. The First Quarter Quell made the people of each district vote for their tributes, vote to send the children of their friends or neighbours into the competition. It was a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence. The Second Quarter Quell doubled all the tributes from each district. It was reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen. If possible, the Third Quarter Quell was slated to be even worse. It was a reminder to the rebels that not even the strongest amongst them could overcome the power of the Capitol. For the Third Quarter Quell, the male and female tribute for each district had to be chosen from the already existing pool of victors.

**A/N: Trust me, it gets better if you keep going. This has more of a prologue kind of feel to it, it's just easing you into it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2:**

"Annie Cresta."

It was a requirement, unless dying, for everyone of a district to attend their reaping ceremony. You had no option, it was mandatory. So, when Rosie Brindon, their always enthusiastic escort faltered slightly, everyone knew something was wrong. They had seen a lot of reapings, but they had never seen that. Their escort was sturdier than most, but it seemed even she had feelings. With some amount of reluctance, the escort read out the name on the sheet of paper and a horrified silence fell over the entirety of District Four. Of all the names, it had to be hers. No one made a sound, they did not even move. The calming sound of the ocean seemed miles away; even all the birds and creatures had fallen silent. And then Annie opened her mouth. Screams filled the courtyard and she would have collapsed to the ground had Finnick not caught her. He held her tight against him, but still she screamed. She screamed and screamed, her hands pulling at her already mussed fiery red hair, she was going back into the Games, and that was by far her worst nightmare. Eventually though, Finnick managed to calm her. The cameras were trained on them, and Peacekeepers were making their way through the crowd, but that was not what caught Kailani's attention. Something shifted out of the corner of her eye and she glanced at her mother. Mags had a look of determination on her face. Kailani knew that look well. She leaned heavily on her cane, but that did not appear to stop her, it never stopped her. Without thinking or even waiting for the cue, Kailani stepped in front of both her mother and Annie.

"I volunteer," she called, her voice ringing loudly through the courtyard.

Mags sucked in a sharp breath, as Annie fell completely silent. Kailani did not dare look at either of them as she walked up onto the stage. This was for the best, the Games were full of unknowns, but one thing for certain was that if either of them were chosen, they would be killed. She at least had a chance of surviving. Rosie squealed and immediately engulfed her in hug. Kailani tried her best not to suffocate in the cloud of her perfume. It was almost as if she were being reaped for the first time again. Except, unfortunately, she wasn't. Kailani looked out to the crowd, some were angry, some sympathetic, however most, had devastation written across their faces. It seemed that choosing from the pool of victors was one step too far by the Capitol. This was not something they could even pretend was okay. Kailani smiled out at them, and forced a calmness onto her face that she knew the people of her district could not ignore. The tension in the air eased, there would be a time for revolution, a perfect moment for the people to rise up, but that time was not now.

It was a message she had been spreading (and hearing herself) for years. _Soon, the time would come soon, just wait._ Perhaps it was because he feared her mother, they had known each other once, or perhaps he had seen the logic in keeping her image clean, but President Snow had never made any attempts to prostitute her out to those who requested her attentions. It made guilt run through her that she had escaped and Finnick had not, but that did not mean she was left unused by the Capitol. They had her performing other duties as it were. It was often she that Snow used to calm any talk of rebellion, to show support of the Capitol at events. She, with her winning smile and beauty that could persuade anyone to her ideals, she was the perfect tool for them to keep the peace. She did not agree with any of it of course, it went against everything she believed in, but she did as he asked. It was too dangerous not to. He was a fool to trust her with such a variety of high-profile people though. They were so very easy to manipulate, especially when their veins were pumped with alcohol. All it took was for her to lean in close and bat her eyelids before they revealed things that perhaps they shouldn't have, though she doubted any of them would remember by morning. What Snow gave her was not a punishment, but an opportunity. With careful words, that appeared to mean nothing, she could plant seeds of doubt. There would come a time when the people she talked with, flirted with, would remember her words, and then, when that time came, the odds would shift in their favour. The people were becoming restless though, if she was being honest, so was she, conditions were worsening by the day, and she lived in a district far better than most, she did not even want to think of how the poorer districts were fairing in all of this. The message for all remained the same though. _Soon. Not yet, but soon._ Kailani tore her eyes away from the crowd, holding her breath despite herself as Rosie placed a perfectly manicured hand into the bowl listing all the living, male victors in their district. She rustled around for a few moments, making a spectacle of it, and then her fingers pulled out the piece of paper with the unfortunate victors name scribbled across it.

"Finnick Odair."

Annie shook her head frantically, her red hair flying, but Finnick's face did not change, he was resigned to his fate. Imperceptibly, Kailani sighed. Mags took Annie's hand in hers, and squeezed tightly. Taking note of what she had done, Finnick did not look back at them as he made his way to the stage. Rosie almost tackled him to the ground as he arrived, though that was not unusual. Falling into old ways he winked at the escort, but rather than leaving space between the two tributes, as was usually done, Finnick defiantly took Kailani's hand and stood next to her. It was small, but the Capitol would receive the message nonetheless: they were not going to make this easy for them, not in a million years.

He could have let go of her hand, in fact, he _should_ have let go of her hand, but Finnick found, at the moment, as Peacekeepers ushered them towards the train, that more than anything, he did not want too. Kailani did not complain, he figured she needed the comfort just as much as he did. It was not the usual procedure where they first got to say goodbye to their loved ones, no, this year that was bypassed entirely. Apparently, once the knife had been stuck in, the Capitol then enjoyed twisting it in further. It was not so much a concern for either of them though. They already had each other, Mags would undoubtedly join them soon enough as a mentor and Annie would just become more upset if either of them, let alone both, were to say goodbye. It worked out for the best, really. Ignoring Rosie as she blabbered on about something or other, Finnick glanced sideways at his best-friend. Kailani had not said a word since she had volunteered for Annie, she hadn't even looked at him. Her experiences with the Hunger Games had always been a touchy subject for her. He knew what had happened of course, everyone did, but they had never talked about it, and _they talked about everything._ It was as if that was the one weakness she wanted to keep hidden away. All of her pain and despair, only her mother had witnessed it. He had tried to get her to open up to him about it once, but it did not go over well. She avoided him for months, and after that, he hadn't tried again. Finnick wished that he had. It was difficult to comfort someone who refused to let him in. He would do what he could though. The train door snapped shut behind them, and Rosie bustled off to speak with the stylists, there would be no discussions until their mentors arrived and for that, he was glad. It gave him time to speak to Kailani. He watched as the smile slipped from her face and her shoulders slumped slightly, without a word he dragged her to a large seat at the back of the room and pulled her down.

"Lani…" he started. She shook her head, and his sentence trailed off into nothing.

"There's nothing to be done about it now," she murmured, her voice tired, "All we can do is accept it."

Finnick raised an eyebrow, but remembered to be careful with his words, you never knew who could be listening, "You won't give up in there, will you?" Whether he referred to the Games or the Capitol was ambiguous, Kailani understood perfectly though.

She scoffed, "Definitely not." Finally, her dark brown eyes turned to him, "That would be much too easy."

He grinned, but his face quickly turned serious, "We work together in there, do you understand me?"

Kailani sighed, "Finnick-"

"No, I know it won't be like last year, but no matter what happens, we don't leave the other behind, are we clear?"

She hesitated, but only for a second. "We're clear, " she agreed.

Finnick could feel all of his muscles relax. He let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding, and leaned his head on her shoulder. She chuckled quietly to herself.

"Thank you, by the way," he whispered.

Kailani frowned, "What for?"

That was a good question, for an entire list of things, really. One however, stood out the most. "For saving, Annie." He refused to say _for volunteering_, he hated himself enough for even thinking it.

She only smiled widely at him. It never ceased to amaze him how, even after all she had been through, she could still find it within herself to smile so brightly, it was enough to make _anyone's_ day better. "My mother was going to do it, I know she was." She shook her head, "I could not allow it. I did not want to see either her or Annie in the Games. They would not survive. I did what I had to do."  
>"And I thank you for it."<p>

To no one's surprise, Mags did indeed join them as a mentor, as did one of the other district's victors, Asher Hayes. In his mid-50's, his black hair had begun to grey, but he was one of the more likeable mentors in the area, and they all got on well enough. Guided by Peacekeepers, it did not take long at all for the mentors to arrive. There was no time to spare apparently, and they had little patience for an elderly Mags, who hobbled along slowly. They might have started pushing her to move faster had Asher not been there to assist her. Kailani hardly seemed pleased by their attitude when the train doors slip open and they grumbled at the pair to get inside. Despite the smile, her eyes were a deadly cold. The Peacekeepers were wise enough to leave them all be as she relieved Asher of her mother, and lead Mags to a seat. Finnick helped her to sit down, and the older woman looked at him sadly before turning to her daughter. Kailani did not bother smiling for her, she knew better. Neither shed a tear, in the presence of others they never would, but the pain in their eyes was clear. Mags raised a shaky hand to her daughter's face and without a word, Kailani clasped it in her own. Asher almost felt as if he were prying into something he wasn't supposed too by staring at the pair. Finnick it seemed, felt the same.

"Here to help us get sponsors?" he asked, his voice almost amused at the prospect. Finnick and Kailani needed no help in that department.

Asher rolled his eyes, "Here for support, kid," he answered.

Finnick nodded, "Thank you." They were going to need it.

She should have been eating. Time and time again she had told tributes at this point of the journey to eat, to begin storing their energy. They would need everything they could get. But on that night, as the train flew past the districts, travelling at high speed to make it to the Capitol, she could not bring herself to eat. Her mother pushed food towards her, pumpkin soup, bread rolls, steak, potatoes, a rich chocolate pudding, but all of it made her feel sick. The smile remained on her face as she kept conversation with Rosie, speaking about all things from the mood in the Capitol to the current fashion trends, but they all noticed as she did not eat. Plate after plate she would push away. Until finally, she excused herself altogether. Finnick wanted to follow her, to help her, to comfort her, she was his best-friend and they _always_ looked out for each other, but one look from Mags and he stayed where he was. Kailani would not confide in him, not if it had anything to do with the Games.

"Don't you worry," she comforted, her voice wispy and quiet as she pulled herself to her feet, "She'll be alright." Mags shuffled out of the room in search of her daughter.

Finnick sighed. He knew that, of course he did. She was always alright eventually, but that wasn't the point. She was never alright because _he_ had helped her. It was always her mother. For some reason, that bothered him, well, continued to bother him. He knew the Games would change her, they changed everyone, but he never thought it would change _them._ He was as ready to be there for her, as she had been for him. He had waited with open arms, but instead of breaking down, she remained strong. She never even gave him the chance to help her. It hurt, but if she could hide things, then so could he. Besides, it was hardly the priority. They were going back into the Games, they had to be ready.

Kailani glared angrily at her roof. Some of the vases that had adjourned her room, lay on the ground shattered into pieces. This entire situation was ridiculous. She _hated_ it. No victor would be happy about this. They would all be seething. Yes, she had accepted that once more she would have to fight for her life, but that did not mean she was happy about it. Not by a long shot.

There was a light tap at her door, and Kailani sighed. That would be her mother. Asher would not bother coming to seek her out and Finnick would have been much louder. There was silence, and Kailani was tempted to stay where she was and hide from even her mother. As old as she was though, Mags was stubborn. She could be exhausted and on the verge of collapsing, and still she would hover outside her daughter's door until she answered. Taking a deep breath, she sat up. If she was being honest her mother's visit was hardly a surprise. She was worried, of course she would come to visit. The door slid open and Kailani tried her best not to look too annoyed.

"Mother, please. I'm fine, really," she insisted, "I just need to be alone for a little while."

Mags ignored her. Her thin arms wrapped around her daughter and she pulled her close. Despite herself, Kailani could feel all of her resistance wash away. Exhaustion filled her, and she leaned her head down onto her mother's shoulder. "It was supposed to be over," she whispered.

Mags nodded, running a hand through her daughter's long hair soothingly, "I know."

Kailani pulled away and looked at her mother seriously, "What do I do?"

Her eyes flickered around the room, warily, "You fight _the enemy_." She gave her daughter a knowing look and with that, left her to herself again.

Kailani smiled. Her mother always knew the right things to say.

Finnick stared blankly at the screen. Faces and names flashing by. The replay of the reaping ceremonies of the other districts had long since ended, but still, he could not be bothered to turn the television off. He knew every single victor that had been chosen, some of them were good friends, all of them he had spoken too at least once. He did not want to kill these people. He was glad it was the middle of the night and everyone had gone to bed, it left him time to think. There would be no time to think once they had reached the Capitol, only time to act. They had put a few plans in place, nothing specific of course, but just enough to keep them going. They already had an idea of what they had to do anyway. These Games would not be about winning, they wanted to survive, but there were more important matters to attend too first. The faces of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark appeared on screen. The District Twelve tributes, the winners of last year's games. Those two had changed everything. He wondered if they realised what it was that they had started. It may not have been their intention, but he was sure they knew, it was impossible not to. They had started a rebellion.

"You're supposed to be asleep," called a voice, interrupting him from his thoughts.

Finnick looked up, his green eyes meeting brown. Kailani grinned at him. He should have known that she would appear at some point. Neither of them would be sleeping on this night, there were too many thoughts running around in their brains. She at least seemed to have tried though. She wore the tiniest, pale green night dress he had ever seen, showing long, tanned legs, the grey silk gown she wore over the top doing little to cover her. Her light brown hair was tied messily atop her head and dark green slippers were on her feet. It was obvious she had just gotten out of bed. Though not before stopping by the kitchens apparently, a large bowl of chocolate pudding was nestled between her hands, her eyes bright with excitement. Every year when they went to the Capitol, she could always be found eating the chocolate pudding. It was her favourite.

"So are you," he commented, dryly.

She shrugged, taking a spoonful of decadent pudding and placing it in her mouth. "I was hungry," she said.

He chuckled, the tightness and tension in his shoulders easing. "Come here," he said, patting the seat next to him.

Her face softened, and without a word, she glided forwards and planted herself down. Her legs curled underneath her, and her eyes fell to the television screen. The reapings. The tributes from District One appeared on screen, Cashmere and Gloss, a brother and sister pairing, they had won the games consecutively a few years ago. They were good people too, for the most part. He and Gloss didn't get along very much, but that was no surprise, they were both strong, handsome males, competition was inevitable. It certainly had nothing to do with the heated looks he and Kailani shared every time they saw one another. Kailani sighed, deeply. "Who else was chosen?" she asked, somewhat unwillingly.

"Enobaria and Brutus-"

"Oh no."

Finnick nodded, "They will be playing to win." Kailani listened intently, her face one of concentration. "Neither would have been expecting to go into the Games again, but I doubt they have an issue with it."

"They do enjoy a good battle for survival," she agreed.

"Wiress and Beetee were reaped, Cecelia too, they had to separate her from her kids, it wasn't good, Lani."

Kailani shook her head in disgust, "I suppose Johanna was chosen?"

Finnick sighed, "She _is_ the only surviving female victor of District Seven," he confirmed. Despite her abrasive attitude, the two had formed a strong bond with Johanna Mason. He admitted, she took some getting used to, but she was a fierce ally.

"And the male?"

"Blight."

"At least he might be able to keep her recklessness to a minimum, keep her from getting herself killed."

Finnick avoided pointing out that the odds of that happening anyway were rather large. That would just upset her. Instead, he scoffed loudly. "Blight won't be able to stop Johanna from doing anything," he said.

"No, you're right," agreed Kailani, "I realised it the moment I said it. What I meant is that he won't encourage her."

"That's true, I'll give you that."

"And the Capitol's star-crossed lovers?" She rolled her eyes.

"Both of them in the Games again, the boy volunteered for Haymitch Abernathy."

"That doesn't surprise me."

And it didn't. Whether their love was an act or not (that was still a matter of debate amongst the mentors), they would want to continue keeping up appearances. Especially, after their little stunt with the berries. For them, it was matter of life and death. And they were doing just that, they were to be married soon apparently. Finnick and Kailani spoke long into the night, discussing their opponents, the upcoming interviews, anything and everything, as long as it passed the time. There was no point trying to force sleep now, with every second that passed, the Capitol grew ever closer.

The time was coming.

The time for the 75th Hunger Games.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: **

Kailani cringed as another strip of wax was pulled from her leg. She thought she might have had a chance of escaping the ever so painful process this time around. It was not as if she didn't look after herself. She shaved, she kept clean, then again, she had done the same before and her prep team had still deemed it necessary to lather her in wax and rip the hairs from her skin, or what was left of it at least. The styling of the chariot rides this year was rather simple, their stylists were excited to have both she and Finnick in their grasps once more, it meant they could flaunt their "assets" while simultaneously paying homage to District Four's industry of fishing. It was an easy task for them, and guaranteed praise from their associates. Tightly woven nets, shells and _a lot_ of skin was the basic theme. As it usually seemed to be when she or Finnick were involved. It could have been worse, the stylists could have made them go out their naked. She was sure they had considered it. The nets provided plenty of coverage, and they were woven tight enough that one could not even see the holes in between. The costume was the simple part of her day. Her stylist had had the ingenious idea of wanting her hair to be straightened. It was obvious Tali might have underestimated the sheer volume of her hair. It took hours to get done and when she finally tied it into a high ponytail on top of her head, there was barely any time to paint a light layer of makeup onto her face, throw her into her costume and shove her out the door.

Finnick gave her a look of amusement as she emerged, pulling a number of shell bracelets onto her arm.

"About time, I would hate for us to be late," he grinned, biting into the apple he held in his hand.

Kailani rolled her eyes, "You didn't have to wait."

Besides, he hardly seemed _that_ concerned about the situation. Finnick was strewn across the couch carelessly, looking almost bored as he threw his apple into the air before catching it again. He was in full-costume, the same netting material used in her clothes was wrapped around his waist and fell down to cover his groin, before stopping. The stylists had wanted the audience to see as much of him as possible, apparently. He was wearing even less than she was. She had a cropped top which went over only one shoulder, that to her annoyance, barely kept her breasts in- it was always the same with these people, though she resisted the urge to adjust it- as well as a long skirt with a slit running up the entire length of her leg. They both wore matching sandals on their feet. Kailani knew the Capitol crowd would love it. It was terribly cliché, but they never seemed to care. She also couldn't help but admit that they were the perfect costumes in forcing the crowd to mourn their loss, they would make the masses question President Snow's decision, and for all of them, that was important.

Finnick shrugged, getting to his feet, "I like making an entrance." He tossed what was left of the apple into a bin. "It wouldn't be as convincing without you by my side."

Kailani nodded, "It's true, I am far more charming than you are." She winked.

Chucking, he held an arm out to her, "Shall we?" he asked, using his most formal voice.

Without hesitating, she took it. "We shall."

He was right, they did make quite the entrance. Everyone there knew perfectly well that they were mocking the entire process, but there were still glances of jealousy and annoyance from a few. Not that they cared. Most were either laughing or smirking quietly to themselves. Johanna was the first to approach, "I see your stylists went all out this year, " she said, her voice tinged with sarcasm.

Johanna Mason, she had won the 71st Hunger Games by pretending she was weak and surprising what was left of her opponents, by in fact, being a rather skilled killer. Despite the difference in personalities, Johanna and Kailani were really the best of friends. They balanced each other out, influenced one another in all the right ways. Not to mention, they were both underestimated by their enemies. It only made sense that they had bonded. With Finnick always by her side, it was no surprise that he too became friends with Johanna. They got on each other's nerves sometimes, but it was all in good fun.

Finnick raised an eyebrow, "You can talk," he stated, his eyes running over her costume. The design was clear.

"You're a tree," pointed out Kailani, "Again."

She shook her head, "Don't even get me started." Johanna growled. She turned a glare to Finnick, "Hey Odair, don't you have other places to be?"

He raised his hands in immediate surrender, "I wasn't the one who designed your costume!" he defended.

"Go away."

Finnick rolled his eyes, "Alright, alright, I get the message, I'm going."

As soon as he was out of earshot, Johanna turned to Kailani accusingly, "You still haven't told him," she hissed, "You told me you were going too."

Kailani glanced around anxiously, "I know, I know. But-" Her eyes flickered to Finnick, "They're so happy, _he's_ so happy. I don't want to be the one to destroy that."

"It's already destroyed, he's living a lie!"

She sighed. Sometimes Kailani hated that she and Johanna had become such good friends. She was the one person she had talked to about what Annie had done, it was never something she could confide in her mother with. Johanna gave her someone she could confess the truth too, who she could rant too. Of course, she was rather opinionated about what she should do about it. Not that she could have expected anything less. Still, the woman had a talent for making her life more difficult than it needed to be.

"While you're at it," she continued, "You may as well confess your feelings for him."

Kailani shot her a sharp look, she knew telling her that had been a mistake. "There's nothing to confess," she ground out. Nor would there ever be. Telling Finnick about Annie was one thing, but telling him _that_, was absolutely out of the question.

"That's bullshit and you know it." Johanna always had been direct, and she was not about to let her get away with any kind of denial. She brushed her hair aside and fixed her with a long look, "I'm sure it won't go down as bad as you're imagining it. He loves you too-"

Kailani shook her head, she did not want to hear this. "Stop it."

"He just doesn't know it-"

"Johanna, _please_."

"Go on, tell him. You can't let him go into these Games without knowing the truth."

"For fuck's sake, Johanna," she snapped, finally having enough, "Just leave it alone."

The District Seven victor grinned, "It's only a matter of time," she sang. Her eyes found Gloss, standing next to his sister, and she raised an eyebrow. He hadn't taken her eyes off of her yet, and Kailani was very much aware of that. If anything, she did enjoy teasing him. "You're not going to fool around with him again, are you?"

Kailani shrugged. "I'm allowed to have my fun." And their _relationship_, if it could be called that, had indeed been fun. It was strictly casual, it always had been. She offered to help him to relieve some stress a few years ago, and from there it had spiralled. They helped each other out on occasion and both had agreed that there were no feelings involved, it was simply physical. Johanna disapproved, she thought Kailani should confess _everything_ to Finnick and they could live happily ever after. But life didn't work like that, and things with Gloss were easy.

There was a loud cheer from the crowds above, and everyone turned to see Katniss enter the gathering area for the tributes and their chariots. She wore a long, black dress, the same colour as the coal mined in her district, her dark hair was left out and her face had makeup highlighting and accentuating all of her features. Most notably, a dark crown had been placed upon her head. The girl looked thoroughly out of her element, navigating everything by herself. It was not as if she knew anyone, and her partner was yet to arrive.

"You think she's going to be on fire this year?" asked Kailani.

Johanna rolled her eyes, "It is the running theme." Her tone clearly stated she was not impressed. Something caught her attention, and a smirk spread across her face, "Looks like someone is going to try and make friends." Kailani followed her gaze and groaned: Finnick. This could only end badly.

Katniss could not deny she was feeling out of place. Whereas last year everyone kept to themselves, this year the tributes and mentors were scattered across the room, talking and socialising. Haymitch was right, everyone here did know each other and that left her and Peeta in a difficult position. The solution would have been for her to start introducing herself to people, to make friends, to make herself known, but she was hardly the type. That was Peeta's expertise, not hers. Instead, she tried to keep out of the way. She stroked the neck of one of horses, trying to remain unnoticed. It didn't quite go according to plan, though. The crunching sound of gravel reached her ears and before she had any time to react, Finnick Odair was standing next to her. Katniss turned her head, only to find his famous sea-green eyes just centimetres from her own. He popped a sugar cube into his mouth and leaned against her horse.

"Hello, Katniss," he greeted, as if they had known each other for years, when in fact they had never actually met.

She did not let it affect her. "Hello, Finnick," she replied, just as casually. Though even she had to admit, his close proximity was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable, especially when he was wearing so little clothing.

"Want a sugar cube?" he asked, offering her his hand which was piled high, "They're supposed to be for the horses, but who cares? They've got years to eat sugar, whereas you and I… well, if we see something sweet, we better grab it quick."

Finnick Odair was something of a living legend in Panem. He had won the 65th Hunger Games when he was only fourteen, he was still one of the youngest victors in history. Being a Career, the odds were already in his favour, but no trainer could claim to have given him his extraordinary beauty. Tall, athletic, with golden skin, blonde hair and those incredible eyes. While other tributes that year were hard-pressed to get a handful of grain or some matches for a gift, Finnick had never had an issue. His sponsors provided him with food, medicine, weapons, anything he needed. It took about a week for his competitors to realize that he was the one to kill, but by then it was too late. He was already a good fighter with the spears and knives he had found in the Cornucopia. When he received a silver parachute with a trident- one of the most expensive gifts Katniss had ever seen- it was all over. District Four's industry is fishing. He had been on boats his whole life. The trident was a natural, deadly extension of his arm. He wove a net out of some kind of vine he had found, used it to entangle his opponents so he could spear them with the trident, and within a matter of days the crown was his.

The citizens of the Capitol had been drooling over him ever since.

Because of how young he was, they couldn't really touch him for the first year or two, but as soon as he turned sixteen, he'd spent all his time at the Games being hounded by those desperately in love with him. No one retained his favour for long though. He could go through four or five lovers in an annual visit. Old or young, lovely or plain, rich or very rich, he'd keep them company, take their extravagant gifts, but never, would he stay, and once he was gone he never came back.

Katniss could not pretend that Finnick wasn't one of the most stunning, sensuous people on the planet, but if she were being perfectly honest, she had never found him _that_ attractive. He was too easy to lose.

"No, thanks," she said, turning down the sugar, "I'd love to borrow your outfit sometime though."

The grin on his face widened, "You're absolutely terrifying me in that get-up. What happened to the pretty little-girl dresses?" They had become rather common during her Victory Tour, the point was that they had been trying to project the image of her as nothing more than a girl in love, that the incident with the berries was not an act of rebellion, but a desperate attempt fuelled by the love she had for Peeta to survive. Nothing more and nothing less. She wasn't entirely sure their plan had worked though. In fact, she was _positive_ that it hadn't. In an act that would probably drive most women crazy, Finnick wet his lips with his tongue. Katniss resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"I outgrew them," she answered, simply.

Finnick took the collar of her outfit and ran it between his fingers. "It's too bad about this Quell business. You could have made out like a bandit in the Capitol. Jewels, money, anything you wanted."

"I don't like jewels, and I have more money than I need. What do you spend all yours on, anyway?"

"Oh, I haven't dealt in anything as common as money for years, " said Finnick.

"Then how do your-" She paused, trying to think of the right word, "_Friends_ pay you for the pleasure of your company?"

"With secrets," he said, softly. He tipped his head towards her, their lips almost touching. "What about you, girl on fire? Do you have any secrets worth my time?"

For some stupid reason, she blushed, but Katniss forced herself to stand her ground, "No, I'm an open book," she whispered back, "Everybody seems to know my secrets before I know them myself."

He smiled, then. "Unfortunately, I think that's true."

A flash of brown hair over his shoulder caught her attention, and out of curiosity, she couldn't help but ask him. It seemed as good a time as any, and even she knew that the rumours had been circling for years. "What about her? Do you know her secrets?" Finnick followed her gaze, and immediately, his eyes softened.

"Kailani and I keep no secrets." He raised his voice, "Isn't that right, Lani?"

Kailani Allyn raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow as, with two long strides, the woman reached the two of them. "What are you talking about?" Her voice confused.

The female victor from District Four was as much a legend as her partner. Long, caramel coloured hair fell in waves down her back, she was tall, lean, tanned from the sun, she had soft, brown eyes that seemed to be able to read so much. She was stunning. The competitors of her Games had learned from the mistakes of their predecessors, they knew she was a threat, and she knew she was a target. No one would have been at all surprised to see her form an alliance with the other Career, but for some reasons, she had refused. She had never seemed like the killing type, she preferred to stay out of the way of it all, perhaps that was why she not joined with them, their type generally sought out the weaker opponents to take them out. However, it did not stop the male tribute from her district, although if Katniss had to guess, she would say that she had probably hoped it would. Kailani was left alone and in a very dangerous place. She had no shortage of sponsors, as they had with Finnick, they all kept her very much alive, but sponsors could do nothing to assist if she were attacked. And she was, a number of times, and despite her reservations, she killed them. Kailani was beautiful, kind, generous, the best friend of Finnick Odair and the daughter of the beloved Mags, it was no surprise the people of the Capitol fell head over heels in love with her, and they only fell harder when they saw how skilled a fighter she was. Katniss had been as impressed as they were. She killed eight in the end, but she had never sought out any one of them. Six attacked _her_, and the last two she had stumbled across in a field, they were all that was left, she had no choice but to fight for her life. Katniss did not trust her, she trusted none of them, but at the very least, she respected her.

"Secrets," answered Finnick, "I was telling Katniss that we don't keep any secrets."

There was a flicker of something in her eyes then. Finnick had not seen, but Katniss had. It was gone so quickly she had barely caught it, she was sure that something had been pain though.

"Of course not," said Kailani, as if it were the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. She was a good actress, Katniss would give her that. "Why were you talking about secrets? Are you making the poor girl feel uncomfortable," she scolded.

"Not at all," he grinned, popping another sugar cube in his mouth. He offered his hand, and she sighed, taking two of the sugar cubes for herself, before turning back to face Katniss.

"I'm sorry about him, you get used to it after a while."

Katniss thoroughly doubted that, but she wasn't stupid enough to voice her opinion, that was no way to play nice with the others. "It's fine," she answered.

Finnick's eyes glanced to the side, "Peeta is coming. Sorry you have to cancel your wedding." Kailani shook her head, a look of exasperation on her face. "I know how devastating that must be for you." He tossed another sugar cube in his mouth, before sauntering off.

Kailani smiled apologetically at her, and then Peeta, as he came to stand by her side. "What he means to say is that we're sorry you not only have to participate in the Games again, but you have to do it for the second in a row," she said, so sincerely Katniss couldn't tell whether she was lying or not. Something told her that she wasn't.

"Kailani, come _on!_" Finnick called, already in their chariot. They would be amongst the first to ride out.

She sighed dramatically. "I suppose I better go, then." Kailani placed a hand on both her and Peeta's shoulders, gave a small smile and then glided away gracefully. Neither really knew what to make of her. 

Crowds roared and cheered at the sight of their victors, some took note of the opportunity, smiling and waving, others did nothing, not caring for _any_ aspect of the Games. The chariots curved around into the loop of the City Circle, and as President Snow began his usual welcome, all of the victors began to tune him out. None of them saw any reason to listen. Even if they hadn't of heard it all before, they wouldn't have cared. All of them knew he was the one responsible for forcing them into the Hunger Games again. Finnick and Kailani were whispering quietly to each other, both snacking on the sugar cubes they had taken with them. The tributes from District Six were staring avidly at the flickering fire on Katniss and Peeta's costumes. Johanna Mason from District Seven could not have looked more bored even if she had tried. Perhaps they should have been concerned with the consequences for their actions, but not one of them wanted to be there, they saw no point in acting otherwise. Not this time around. The anthem began to plan, the chariots took one final trip around the circle, and then, it was all over. To everyone's relief. As soon as the doors to the training centre closed behind them, they all broke off into small groups again, talking amongst each other, joking, ranting, all of it. The camaraderie amongst the victors clearly made the Peacekeepers uncomfortable, but they could care less. They would be entering the arena in just a few days, it was not as if they could do anything to stop them from socialising. For some, like District Twelve, it would have been as good a time as any to try and make friends with the others. It became clearer by the minute the disadvantage they were at. These were people who had known each other for years, _who were friends already_. They shared a bond that Katniss and Peeta had very little time to become a part of. Not even Haymitch introducing them to his friends helped them all too much. It was not that easy. The trust had to be earned, and it had to go both ways. If you made the wrong alliances with the wrong people in the arena, they would, without hesitation, _kill you_.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4:**

"Not a good turn out," commented Finnick, as finally, the tributes who had decided to show up for training, were allowed to roam free.

Only about half had attended in the end, not that Kailani could blame any of them. She would have been happy to find something better to do with her time as well. There was no use hiding away in her room though, as tempting as it was, it was much more productive of her to be down in the training rooms. To hide away would mean she had given up, and she _had not_ given up. Not quite yet.

"No, but everyone'll be here on the last day," said Kailani, her voice almost distracted as she tried to decide on what station she was going to go to. Combat or survival, it was a difficult choice.

Finnick rolled his eyes, "Only because they _have_ to be here, then."

She shrugged, she didn't really care whether people showed up or not. There would be no escaping the Hunger Games, no matter how hard they tried. "Are you going to go and outshine everyone with your trident?" she asked.

Finnick glanced around, noting the stations that were occupied, "I think I'll build up to that," he said, finally, "Maybe tomorrow."

Kailani made her decision, "Well, I'm feeling rather tired, I might just do something easy today." She looked fondly at the fishing station. Their mentors had given them no instructions on how to play out the next few days, how to act, who to befriend. There was no point, everyone already knew each other and what they could do. Katniss wandered over to the fire starting station where Beetee and Wiress were struggling to start a fire with the matches they held, and Kailani watched her go. She was important that girl. Rumblings of a rebellion had been going on for years, but always underneath the surface. Now however, that had all changed, and Katniss Everdeen was at the centre of it all. Her mentor knew that better than anyone else. Already, Haymitch was organising things for her and Peeta, he had a plan apparently, but not one his students were to find out about. He did not need to relay anything further. If the Gamemakers caught wind of some kind of mega-alliance, particularly one District Twelve was involved in, they would become suspicious, Finnick and Kailani were not fools, _they knew that_. He had asked how they felt about an alliance, and they said they were willing to participate. It was as simple as that. They expected any other information would come in the next three days.

"If you're going to go to the fishing station, I don't see the point of you having come down here at all. You could be upstairs eating chocolate pudding right now and it would be more constructive," Finnick said. It was a fair point, but Kailani didn't really care.

"I have all night to eat that, besides me going to the fishing station is no different from me practicing with my spear. One is just considerably less effort than the other, _and_ this way I can socialise as well."

"Alright, alright," he conceded, "You have your fun, I'm going to go and throw some knives."

"You do that." He did need the practice, he could wield them, he was not as good as throwing them. He was much too used to throwing spears and tridents. Then again, she was no better. The two split up, and happily, Kailani sat herself down at the fishing station. The trainer was surprised to see her, he had been sure she already knew everything he had to teach and more. To be fair, he wasn't wrong, she just enjoyed the process. He eventually gave up attempting to teach her anything, and as no one else had wanted to join them, battled on who could make fishhooks faster. Kailani, of course, won, but she promised that after lunch she would _teach him_ a few things that made it all a lot easier. And she did. The trainer was in amazement of her technique. It was simple, effective and fast. She was nowhere near as good as her mother though, she had learned what she could, but Mags had a natural talent for it. Even now, she was probably still quicker than her.

"I was so sure that the trainers were meant to be teaching us, not us them."

The trainers head snapped up, surprised to have more company. He had been so enraptured in trying to make a fishhook out of an earring he had not heard anyone approaching. Kailani had though, she didn't even look up from her work to acknowledge Finnick.

"Not much left that he _can_ teach me, Finn," she mumbled, carefully threading weight onto her hook. It had to be just right.

He waited until she had finished what she was doing before speaking again, "I brought you a friend," he said.

Finally, Kailani looked at him and standing to his left was Katniss, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Finnick must have stolen her away from somewhere else. She was sure she had heard two sets of footsteps, it was good to know she had not entirely lost her touch. Kailani smiled, "Katniss!" she greeted, brightly. Her hand patted the seat next to her, "Come, sit, perhaps we can teach you a few things."

Katniss did as she was told, and sat down. Finnick grinned, "You won't be able to learn from anyone better," he guaranteed. He leaned forwards, his arms winding around Katniss as he picked out a simple nail and placed it in front of her, "I would start with this if I were you," he said, lowly.

Katniss looked torn between feeling uncomfortable, and resisting the urge to hit him. Kailani thought it best she intervene before she decided on the latter. She poked Finnick sharply in the stomach and he jerked backwards, "Stop bothering her."

Katniss shot her a look of gratitude.

"I wasn't bothering, merely helping," he said, innocently. The grin on his face widened, "Was someone feeling left out?"

Before she could even think of an appropriate response, his arms wrapped around her tightly and he pulled her back against his chest. 

Katniss could not help but stare at them. No one else seemed to notice, or perhaps it was just so commonplace they were used to it. But she was beginning to think there were more to the rumours than she had originally thought. They were so at ease with each other, and sometimes the looks they exchanged, she was sure there was love there. Katniss had seen enough of them on television over the years and in person to know that. If it were true though, she wondered why they didn't utilise it in these Games. There had been no indication of a romance so far, nothing at all. If the Capitol knew Kailani Allyn and Finnick Odair were in a relationship, the people would go berserk. Even if they really weren't, surely the smartest thing for them to do would be to pretend otherwise. The advantage they would gain would be enormous. They would blow her and Peeta out of the water completely. So, that begged the question as to why they didn't do it. There had to be something that she was missing.

Finnick placed a light kiss to Kailani's cheek before pulling away. She rolled her eyes at him. "I don't think hugging is considered training, you know," she said.

"No, but I bet I would get full marks if I did that in my private session."

Kailani laughed, "I would not be surprised at all if that happened."

Neither would Katniss if she were being perfectly honest.

"I'll leave you both to have your fun," he said, finally, winking at her, "I think I've distracted you both long enough."

"Yes, you have." Kailani waved him away. "Now go."

He smirked, but left them to their own devices nonetheless. Immediately, Kailani launched into the basics of making a good fishhook. Their trainer did not even bother to interrupt her. Katniss listened to every word she said, which materials were better than others, how to make the hooks as strong and sturdy as possible, tips to being able to make them faster if you had very little time. She was glad Finnick had dragged her over to the fishing station because Kailani was a fantastic teacher. When she managed to make a fishhook out of a nail she had bent and attached it to strands of her own hair, Kailani had beamed at her proudly before moving on to more difficult concepts.

"So…" she started, glancing sideways at the District Four tribute, "Are you and Finnick…" Kailani raised an eyebrow. "Uh, you know, together?" she trailed off, awkwardly.

Kailani's hands paused in their movements. Her brown eyes slid across to look at her and Katniss had to force herself not to fidget under her gaze. Finally, Kailani shook her head, "No."

Maybe she had misread the signs, Katniss could hardly call herself an expert in the matter. "Oh, sorry, I just thought-"

She chuckled, "I know what you thought, and you've not been the only one." Kailani returned her attention to the intricately detailed fishhook she was making. "Finnick is my best friend in the world, but that's all." If she was bothered by that fact, then Katniss for the life of her couldn't tell.

"So, you two have known each other a long time?"

Kailani smiled fondly, "As long as I can remember."

Katniss watched as her expert fingers continued on her creation. Kailani would be a good ally, Haymitch would most certainly approve. She was a good person, one of the better ones she had met so far that was for sure. But she was dangerous. It was impossible to tell whether her words were truth or lie, and she had no doubts that with her would come Finnick. Having those two in an alliance could be lethal. Katniss refused to risk it.

"I don't know how you put up with him," she said, shaking her head.

Kailani giggled, "He is a handful," she agreed, "But that's just a part of who he is. He has his good qualities as well, even if he doesn't show them to everyone."

Strangely, Kailani never asked any questions herself. Not about her, or Peeta, nothing at all, she was content to give instructions on fishhooks and help out where she could, rather than gather information. Her basic instinct it seemed was just to look after other people. That did nothing to make Katniss feel better at the thought of killing her. By time Kailani deemed her fishing skills adequate enough, she sent her away to another station. She didn't want her to stay at the same station for the rest of the day. Katniss chose archery.

It had been a long day, all she had wanted to do was wind down. She had hardly _intended_ to impress everyone there with her shooting. According to Haymitch, at least half of the tributes had put in a formal request to be allies. It was a shame she didn't want any of them. 

"Any news?" asked Finnick, his voice low.

They sat on the floor of his bathroom, the shower running on high to block out their voices in case anyone was listening in. Apparently, no one thought it was strange that Kailani was in his bathroom. He decided not to dwell on that.

Taking a sip of her tea, Kailani shrugged, "Only bits and pieces," she said, quietly, "There might be a chance we can make it out of this, but Katniss and Peeta come first. They are the symbols of this rebellion, the hope, the heart, they are the priority."

"Protect District Twelve, we already expected that. Do we know who else is in on this yet?"

"From what I've heard it's us, Three, Six, Seven, Eight and Eleven."

Finnick's eyes widened slightly, "That's a lot of people." He wasn't sure there had ever been an alliance so big in the arena. Including Katniss and Peeta that would be fourteen tributes, over half of the field. Not to mention that they had the new head Gamemaker on their side. Plutarch Heavensbee had been plotting to overthrow the Capitol for a long time, now he was finally in a position to do so. He hid his intentions well though. He was a valued and trusted citizen of the Capitol, no one would ever expect _him_ of rebellion. "And Katniss and Peeta are still to know nothing?" he continued, "Surely they will get suspicious."

Kailani shook her head, "They don't know us well enough to become suspicious, not really."

"Katniss will be the biggest problem, she's too mistrusting. We can't help her if she's trying to kill us."

"We just have to earn their trust, we can do no more than that."

"And hope she doesn't shoot an arrow through our skulls," he muttered.

Kailani nudged him with her foot playfully, "It'll be okay."

Finnick gave a small smile, "Perhaps."

There were so many ways in which something could go wrong though. She always looked to the positive side, she still held hope, which left him to be the one who worried. This plan could fail miserably, and then what? Everyone they loved would be killed, if they were not dead already. The rebellion would fail, the districts would be forced into compliance once again and the dictatorship they lived under would continue.

"It is better than nothing," she said, knowingly, as if she could read his thoughts.

As ever, Kailani had a point. "So, what else is there?" he asked, "I assume they plan to get whoever they can out if there is still hope for us as you say, but how?"

She shrugged, "You got me, I have no idea."

"Beetee and Wiress must have something to do with it, if anyone could do it, they could."

"With the right instruments, yes."

"I expect _he_ will take care of that." They were already taking enough precautions, but still, it was better not to say Heavensbee's name out loud. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

"The important thing is keeping Katniss and Peeta safe. That is our job."

Finnick nodded, "Then that is what we will do." 

The next two days of training passed by quickly, as they usually seemed to do. There was not enough time in the world to prepare all of them for the Games again. Three days of training may as well have been a few minutes for all the good it did. Some of them made the most of it though. Katniss did her best to be nice and make friends, she spent time with everyone in those days. Each time Kailani looked over she was training alongside a different tribute. Peeta was exactly the same. The two were trying their best. They even attempted to make nice with the likes of Enobaria and Brutus. It was a good effort, but rather pointless. Those two were clearly prepared to kill and honestly they were probably going to enjoy doing it too. After basically achieving nothing in her first day of training, Kailani got stuck into it for the last two, utilising mainly the combat stations rather than the survival ones. Her spear work was as flawless as ever, her and Finnick teamed to try and teach Katniss and Peeta some basic techniques in case they were stuck with such weapons, but starting from scratch was not easy. It was like when they taught some of the children back home. To be fair, Katniss and Peeta _were_ still children. But at least they were quick learners. In exchange, Katniss gave them a lesson in archery and Peeta gave them tips on camouflage. In their small amount of time in the training centre, they all tried to refresh any of the knowledge they lacked, learn the basics of that which they had no idea and hone the talents they already had into deadly precision. If anything, the bond between them all only became stronger. When they were so close into entering an environment where they had to kill each other, that was not necessarily a good thing. They had their alliance of fourteen which was something, but even if they didn't kill _each other_, there still the large possibility of having to watch their friends die. In fact, it was almost a certainty. Soon, some of the people around them would be dead and there was absolutely nothing they could do about that. But they knew that the moment this had all started, none of them were new to the Hunger Games. It did start to get to them though, in their own little ways. Gloss snapped sparring with Kailani, she could see in his eyes, she'd been with him on enough intimate occasions to know how to read his tells. His blows were harder, his words even sharper as he forced her to use all of her strength, not to "play around". He would kill her if he saw the opportunity, she would do the same but it was still hard. It got to a point where even Cashmere was telling him to cool down, where Finnick wanted to interfere but neither did anything until he knocked her to the ground and pinned her down. It hurt, but it was nothing Kailani hadn't dealt with before, it was what he had said that angered her the most. She had told him a lot of things in their time together, and apparently, he had no qualms about throwing them in her face. The only thing that made it better was the makeup sex they had had later in an empty room against the wall. As it turned out, it was something they had both needed and he did at least, apologise in the end. If they did it in his apartment, her apartment, the elevator and the dining room after that, then they didn't say anything. The final day of training ended with the private sessions. Each tribute had fifteen minutes before the Gamemakers to show off their skills and talents. Later that night they would broadcast their individual scores, ranging from one to twelve. Only about half of them were planning to take it at all seriously. At lunch there was a lot of joking about what they were going to do. Sing, dance, strip, Kailani was considering just sitting down and staring at the Gamemakers until they felt uncomfortable. That seemed like too much effort though, she knew she was just going to go in there, pick up a spear and spin it around a bit until they dismissed her. She didn't really care about her score, everyone already knew what she was capable of. She could get a score of one and she wouldn't care. They must have been feeling generous, because they gave her a nine. Not even she could contain her shock though when the scores for Katniss and Peeta came in. Both of them had scored twelves, making Hunger Games history.

Asher shook his head at the television screen, "I don't know what they did in there but this is their punishment. The Gamemakers wanted them to be made targets, " he said, as Mags nodded her head in agreement.

"No doubt about that," said Kailani, "But why bother? All of us will be able to see through it."

"Because they're idiots," stated Finnick, simply.

No one could argue with that. The tributes wouldn't be fooled, the Gamemakers were unwittingly showing _their own_ cards. They wanted District Twelve targeted, so in other words, they wanted Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark dead. Their job in the arena just became that much harder. 

Kailani blanched, "They want to do _what!?_" Her eyes went wide and she could barely believe what she was hearing. Maybe the water was running harder than she thought and she had misheard, because there was no way they were planning to do something as insane as that.

Finnick watched her in amusement, "Destroy the arena," he repeated. Again, the two sat on the floor of his bathroom. Now that training had finished, they had the entire day to themselves. Interviews were not until tomorrow night and they needed no counsel on how to play them. They already had a good idea of what they were going to do. For the whole day they were able to do nothing but be themselves and enjoy what little time they had left. They planned on making the most of that opportunity. Their role in the Games had to be sorted out first though.

She shook her head, unbelievably. "How?" she breathed.

"We were right, Beetee has something to do with it. I'm not a hundred percent about the details though. It'll be clearer once we're in there."

"And then what? What the hell do _we_ do once the arena's been destroyed?"

"There will be a hovercraft to pick us up. The bread we receive from the sponsors will tell us when and where, with the district it's from indicating the day, and the number we're given the hour."

Kailani shook her head, her mind reeling. It was a risky plan, but if everything went right, it _could_ work.

"This is insane," she muttered.

"But it's better than nothing," Finnick grinned, echoing her words from the other day.

Kailani smiled, "Yes, I suppose it is." 

Their day off might have been considering more enjoyable had they been allowed to do anything. Their options were rather confined. They missed the ocean, the smell of salt in the air, _the freedom_. They had gone up to the roof, there space up there, and Johanna joined them. It was already occupied though. Katniss and Peeta were there. Johanna would have been _happy_ to interrupt them, they didn't own the roof she said. But Kailani thought it was best to leave them be. They were young, let them have their time. Instead, they went to the ground floor. There were Peacekeepers everywhere, watching their every move, it was hardly relaxing, but they _tried_ to enjoy themselves. And they did- for a little while. Surprisingly, it was Kailani who had gotten fed up first. Between the suspicious Peacekeepers, the looks Johanna kept giving her and Finnick in general, she just couldn't handle it for any longer. She stormed off without a word.

"Did I miss something?" asked Finnick, as Kailani disappeared into the elevator.

Johanna rolled her eyes. She wanted to yell at him until he realised that yes, he was missing something. He was such a fool. They both were. He and Kailani were as bad as each other. For once, she held her tongue though. "Just the stress getting to her," she answered, casually.

Finnick sighed, "I should talk to her."

She wouldn't give away much though, they both knew that. Johanna could see the hesitation written across his features, the way he glanced at the elevator, the way his feet shifted. As much as he wanted to help her, he wanted to be rejected even less.

"Yes, you should," she said, her tone softer than usual. Finnick looked at her surprised and realising her mistake she cleared her throat, "You know, otherwise _I'll_ have to be the one to deal with her and I've dealt with enough of her drama for a lifetime."

He raised an eyebrow, "What drama?"

Johanna could have kicked herself. For _years_ she had managed to keep her mouth shut, she hadn't let anything slip, whether it be intentional or an accident, she had said nothing. Until now. Going back into the Hunger Games and the fact that it was only days away, must have affected her more than she realised. She would never have said something so obvious before. Maybe knowing that they were all going into this together, that they could all be dead in a matter of days was what messed with her brain. Johanna was not concerned with herself so much as Finnick and Kailani. She had no family, they were all dead, but she did have those two. The only two who would put up with all her shit to find something more. _They_ were like her family now, her best friends and while she would never say anything so sappy out loud, she was glad she had them in her life. Maybe the reason she had slipped up was because, before they all tried to kill each other, she wanted Finnick to know the truth and Kailani to not have to lie. Deep down, she was sure Finnick knew Kailani kept something from him. He may have deluded himself otherwise, but she was _so sure_ he knew. And Kailani, the secrets, the lies, they ate away at her. She seemed to feel worse about them every year she saw her. The Capitol was already taking away their right to live in peace, and now she realised, they were also taking away any chance Finnick and Kailani had to be together. The possibility, while small, was there. Perhaps in a few years when Kailani found the courage to man up and tell Finnick everything, something could have happened. But not anymore. One of them or both could die in that arena. Even with the chance of a few of them, rather than just one, making it out alive, the odds most certainly, were _not_ in their favour. If anything, Johanna's anger at the Capitol, and above all else, the President, only intensified. It burned underneath her skin and she longed to have an axe in her grip. Finnick looked at her expectantly, and Johanna resisted the urge to cringe. Then again, that anger would pale in comparison to Kailani's if she didn't fix her mistake, and fix it quickly.

Johanna waved an unconcerned hand through the air, "Oh, just the usual. You know, grabby politicians and all that crap," she said.

Finnick's gaze darkened "What?"

"Nothing for you to worry about, Finnick." She shoved him into the elevator and pressed the numbers of their floors, the same as their respective districts. "Just go and talk to her." There was a ding and the door slid open. "_Go._"

He sighed, "Yeah, okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Johanna." Finnick called behind him, giving a half-hearted wave. The door closed again and she let out a breath of relief. That was way too close. She hoped Finnick didn't rat her out. She was in no mood to be murdered during her interview. Then again, she thought bitterly, she supposed the crowd would find it entertaining. 

Finnick didn't even bother to acknowledge Mags and Asher as he entered the room. His eyes sought out only one person and she was not there. His shoulders slumped, he didn't understand. One moment Kailani had been fine, the next she was angry. It didn't make sense. He had the feeling Johanna knew something, but if she did she wasn't saying anything. This was not what he needed. This was not what _any of them_ needed just two days before they entered the Hunger Games.

"If you're looking for Kailani," said Asher, his voice unreadable, "She's not here. She came in, and then left."

Finnick sighed. "Do you know where she went?"

"Nope."

"Thanks," he muttered, grumpily.

Well, there was nothing he could do but wait for her to get back. Finnick was halfway down the hall, almost out of hearing distance, when again, Asher spoke up, "And might I suggest fixing what the hell it is you did, and quickly. You shouldn't be distracted in there, it will get you killed."

As if he didn't already know that, and to be fair, _he_ wasn't the one who had made her angry. At least, not that he was aware of. But Finnick was in no mood to argue. "Got it."

She didn't get back for another two hours, and when she did, it was only the sound of the shower that alerted him to her presence. Without even bothering to knock, he stepped into Kailani's room. Again, she was nowhere in sight. The worry gnawed at his insides, and perhaps he should have waited, but Finnick was feeling impatient, he couldn't help but bash on her bathroom door. "Kailani?" he called.

There was no answer, and he knocked again. He knocked and knocked until finally the door swung open, and Kailani peered out. Her hair was dripping wet and a towel was wrapped around her body. He definitely should have taken his own advice and waited.

"Yes?" she ground out.

"Um, I just wanted to talk to you."

She raised an eyebrow, "Right this very second?"

"Well-"

"Just wait Finnick, after my shower we can talk." She gave him a comforting smile. "I promise."

Kailani disappeared back into the bathroom. Well, at least he knew she wasn't too angry with _him_. She would have been much snappier if she were.

So, he waited. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Thirty. An hour. Until finally, she emerged, the scent of flowers filling the room.

"Oh, Finnick, you weren't supposed to stay," she chided, spotting him spread out on her bed.

He grinned, he didn't mind, her bed was nice and comfortable. Besides, it was not as if he had anything else to do.

"You did say to wait."

She rolled her eyes, running a brush through her hair, "That wasn't what I meant."

Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Finnick stared at her. She seemed a lot calmer now, her annoyance having disappeared. If anything was still bothering her she hid it well. Her eyes caught his in the mirror and she paused in her movements. "What?" she asked.

"Are you okay?"

A look of confusion crossed her face, "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

"Um, maybe because you stormed off a few hours ago. What was that about, and where have you been?"

She sighed, putting the brush down and turning to look at him. "It was so tense down there, with the Peacekeepers and everything, I suppose it just got to me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left like I did. I went up to the roof and tried not to interrupt Peeta and Katniss' little picnic, I needed the fresh air."

He shook his head, "It's okay, you don't need to apologise, darling. We should never have gone down there." A grin spread over his features, "But hey, we still have the rest of the day, right?" Her eyes sparkled as she nodded. "There's been enough angst already, let's have some fun."

And they did. It was like they were six year-olds again, free and innocent, running about as if nothing mattered. Mags watched over them fondly. For the rest of the day they pushed the dark thoughts looming in their minds to the deepest recesses of their brains and locked them away. They could be dealt with tomorrow. As the sun set and the sky darkened outside their windows, Finnick ordered them a feast of food and they all had a picnic in his room, even Mags and Asher joined them. Kailani fiddled with the settings of the control panel until recreated stars shined on the roof, the sounds of the ocean filled the room and light breaths of air blew through their hair. If they closed their eyes, it was almost as if they were home again. 

Unfortunately, they weren't, and Kailani had never been gladder to see Gloss lying lazily atop her bed, waiting for her. He wore no shirt, and she had no issues with staring at him. He really was sight to behold, and he absolutely knew it. "I thought we agreed earlier would be the last," she said, making sure the door was locked behind her.

He shrugged. "We did, but I decided it wasn't enough."

Kailani shook her head, as he tugged her down onto the bed. "You are so spoiled."

His blue eyes gleamed, mischievously. "I know." His lips pushed against hers firmly, and she melted in an instant.

It really hadn't been a part of her plan, spending her last night with him of all people. Something told her it wasn't exactly his either, but they didn't complain. They had helped each other through a lot, this was no different. Except that it was, they couldn't help it, but it was. It was more desperate, neither wanting to let go. There had always been an unspoken rule between them they would never stay, that they would never get too close but it seemed pointless now given that they would be walking to their deaths. At least, he was. District 1 probably hadn't even been approached to join an alliance in keeping Katniss alive, they were too untrustworthy. She leaned her head against his chest, and sighed. Kailani almost thought they should have done this more often, stayed with each other, actually acted like normal human beings rather than the ruined ones they were. A single sheet covered them both, and with his fingers combing through her hair, Kailani found herself dozing off. It was comfortable, it was warm, _it was nice_.

"What are you thinking?" asked Gloss, quietly.

Her hand found his and she twined their fingers together. "That we should have done this more often," she said.

"Finnick probably would have found out if we had, my sister too."

Kailani rolled her eyes. "Please, your sister already knows. Nothing gets past her."

Gloss chuckled. "Good point, but Finnick…"

"Yes, he probably would have found out," she agreed. Kailani pushed herself up on his chest, ignoring the fact that the sheet covered only her bottom half. His eyes flickered to her exposed breasts, and she poked him.

"Hey! Ow, that hurt you know."

"He would have found out," she continued, "But I wouldn't have cared."

Gloss raised an eyebrow at that. "You love him."

"And he loves Annie. I couldn't have pined over him forever, I love him a lot less when I'm with you."

He stared at her, thoughtfully. "Could you ever have loved me?"

Kailani tried to keep the surprise off of her face, this wasn't the Gloss she was used too but there was no use lying to him. "Yes."

"As much as him?"

His eyes watched her, waiting to see what her reaction would be. She knew he had seen what he had expected too. Gently, she placed a hand against his cheek. "You're the only one that could ever have come close." He flashed her a small smile. The first genuine thing she had ever seen him done, she was much more used to smirks and scowls from him. Her face twisted into a frown. "But I thought we weren't meant to be doing feelings, Gloss. You're making me break all of our rules tonight."

"Sorry, it seemed like a good time." He leaned up and kissed her lightly on the lips. She groaned, and allowed him to pull her back down against him. That was when the door slid open, and someone swore. Kailani shot up in an instant, and Finnick gaped.

"Finnick! What the hell do you-"

Gloss cleared his throat, loudly. "Babe, sheet," he reminded.

She looked down and swore loudly, tugging the sheet up around herself. "Get out, I'll deal with you in a minute." Finnick however, didn't move. He was frozen, his eyes switching between her and Gloss at rapid pace. Kailani glared at him, furiously. Some people _really_ had to learn how to knock, even him. "_Finnick._"

"Go on Odair, out you go," said Gloss, cockily, waving him out.

Kailani could feel a headache coming on. "I'm naked, Finnick. Please get out of my room." As if in a trance, he did as he was asked. There was an almost horrified look in his eyes as the door slid closed behind him and she sighed.

"Well, would you look at that, you were right, he did find out because I stayed."

The irony of the situation was not lost on her. "You better go," said Kailani, getting up to find her clothes, "I'm going to have to talk to him, besides you wouldn't want Cashmere to start questioning you, because you know she will."

He couldn't argue with that. They moved around the room in a well-practiced silence, finding their clothes, righting themselves. It was routine they knew well, but this time, Kailani couldn't just let him leave with a smirk and cool remark. They weren't just mentors anymore, they were tributes going into the games for yet another turn and he knew that as well as she did. He hovered by the door, awkward for once.

"You know, this can't change anything, _it won't_," he said, firmly. "I'll kill you if I see the chance, I expect you to do the same."

She nodded, "I will, but…" Kailani hesitated. She was treading into dangerous waters, but it was just something she had to do. "You don't _have_ to take the path laid out for you, you know."

"What are you-"

"Just listen to me. This won't be like the other years, it won't be like the times we won, it will be different and you can make a better decision. Not just for you, but for your sister as well." For everyone, she thought, but didn't say that out loud. She had already said too much as it was. "Don't forget that, okay?" His eyes narrowed, as if trying to see the deeper meaning and nodded, slowly. Kailani let out a breath of air, and pushed up onto her toes to kiss him one last time. His hand wrapped around her waist, and it might have gone further had she not pushed him away. "I'll see you at the interviews." She opened the door, and with only a passing glance towards Finnick, Gloss left the apartment. Rather unwillingly, she stepped aside to allow Finnick in the room. He could barely even make eye contact with her. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I probably should have knocked," he muttered, sullenly. His head snapped up, and he looked at her, disapprovingly. "But Gloss, 'Lani, _really_? The guy's a tool."

"He has his moments," she agreed, "But it's none of your business."

"It is if it's him."

She knew she was supposed to be smoothing things over with him, it would have made everything so much easier but she was tired, and she definitely was not as comfortable as she had been ten minutes ago. Normally, she would act like the perfect best friend, be nothing but a bottle of sunshine but tonight she just wasn't in the mood. So, she decided to rub it in just that little bit more instead. "It's not like this was the first time, this has been happening for years."

Finnick blanched, "_What?_"

"Look, it was casual, we had our fun on occasion, what's the problem with that?"

"The problem!? The problem is that-"

"No, we're not going to do this. Look, Gloss and I are both going into these games, we know where we stand we just had to get whatever we felt out and be done with it, and it's done, so how about you drop it, okay?"

Finnick frowned, but nodded his head nonetheless. They didn't have the time to be arguing, and he knew it. 

Too quickly did the new day come and too quickly were they all ushered off to get ready for their interviews. The prep team tugged and pulled at her hair, and Kailani sighed. It was going to be a long day. She had a headache, Finnick was still slightly awkward after last night, she was just in a foul mood altogether. Some of the others still held the hope that they could put an end to this ridiculous Quell, that perhaps if the crowds turned against it enough they would be called off. It was unlikely, but they could still turn the crowd against the government in general. Snow made a grave mistake bringing them all together, before they turned on each other, they would stand united against _him_, against the Games and against everything he stood for. One day, whether it be later on tonight, or sometime in the future, Snow would realise his mistake. Until then, they just had to keep fighting. Kailani was prodded, poked, pinched, pulled, painted, but finally, after hours of work and being treated like a doll, she was done. And even she had to admit, looking at herself in the mirror, she _looked good_. She wore a blue, floor-length, satin dress that fell over the curves of her body and pooled at her feet like water. The neckline plunged low, and the back was open revealing more than enough skin to please the crowd. Her hair was left out this time, the long strands curling down her back smoothly, and her make-up matched the dress perfectly, shades of blue used on her eyes, lips and nails. She really did look stunning, and judging by Finnick's momentary loss of composure, he thought so too. She grinned, well, she always had been good at the interview. 

"Thank you, thank you!" smiled Caesar Flickerman, his hair and face highlighted lavender for this particular year's Games. "Thank you for being here tonight, on the eve of the 75th Hunger Games!" The crowd let out a loud roar. 

The tributes had all gathered off stage as Caesar began his usual spiel. A large screen on the wall broadcasted the video feed live for them to watch as they waited. One by one, or perhaps in pairs if they preferred, Caesar would call them out, they would have their allocated three minutes and then would move on to stand on the large stage behind them. It was quite straightforward, really. Katniss and Peeta were the last tributes to arrive, and the others all fell silent as they did. Their eyes fell to her dress, glaring daggers at it. Whether it was from envy or something else, she had no idea. She supposed the dress she wore was not just any dress, it was a wedding dress. It was _her_ wedding dress. 

"We have never seen anything like this and we will never see anything like it again," continued Caesar, his voice low and dramatic, leaving the crowd hanging on his every word, "Because tonight, on this stage, twenty-four of Panem's brightest stars will vie for the ultimate crown. Tonight will be their final opportunity to express their thoughts and our final opportunity to express our love, and heartbreakingly, say goodbye to all but one." 

Finnick was the first to break the silence, "I can't believe Cinna put you in that thing."

"He didn't have any choice," defended Katniss. It was not Cinna's fault and she would not let him be criticised. "President Snow made him."

Cashmere tossed her flowing blonde locks back, "Well, you look ridiculous," she spat, grabbing her brother's hand and pulling him into position to walk out on stage.

Kailani smiled at her sympathetically. Katniss was confused, the tributes seemed to be torn between anger and sympathy. Johanna Mason even stopped to fix her necklace before her dark eyes looked at her seriously, "Make him pay for it, okay?"

Despite not having any idea of what she meant, Katniss nodded. 

Caesar looked between Cashmere and Gloss, only the first interview and already the air was sombre. "You became everyone's brother and sister," he said, sincerely, "I don't know how we're going to let you go."

Gloss leaned around his tearful sister, his face as composed as it could be, "We're not going by choice." Caesar wanted to sigh, so _this_ was how the night was going to go. He couldn't say he was surprised. "You are our family and I don't see how anyone can love us better."

Cashmere let out a tiny sob and Caesar immediately turned to her, "Are you alright, dear?"

She shook her head, trying to find the right words, "I just- I can't help thinking about how many people in the Capitol must be suffering because they are going to lose us." The tears streamed down her face, "It breaks my heart." 

It was only when the interviews began did the understanding set in for Katniss. The looks of anger, how they felt. Every one of the victors that surrounded her felt betrayed, felt cheated that they had been recalled into the competition. Their feelings ran deep but they were careful, and so wonderfully smart at how they played it. Their words always came back to the government and President Snow. These people were still fighting their situation. And if they were still fighting, then so would she. 

"Beetee," began Caesar, "You have contributed so much to Panem over the years, I don't know who we will miss more, you or your brain." The crowd laughed, but the male victor of District Three would have none of his attempts to lighten the mood. There may have been seem of them unwilling or unable to defy the Capitol, but he was not one of them.

"The Quarter Quell were written into law by men," he said, his voice firm despite the twitching, "Certainly, it can be unwritten."

Caesar struggled to find a way to spin those words into a positive light, into something less accusing towards the Capitol. He could come up with nothing. The members of the crowd were muttering amongst each other. Caesar nodded, "Yes, interesting concept," he managed. 

Finnick looked over at Kailani, "You're next," he said, "You ready?"

She met his gaze, "Always." 

"Kailani, your smile usually brightens up any room, " said Caesar, eyeing the solemn woman before him, "I'm not sure I've ever seen you without it, _except_ for this evening, tell us, why is that?"

She let out a long sigh, "Well, Caesar, I could try, but I think everyone here would know it isn't genuine. I do not want to lie to any of you, not tonight. You see, I'm worried. I'm worried for my dear mother. You all know who she is, did you also know she turned eighty-two this year?" Caesar nodded. "With me going into the Games again, and Finnick as well, I worry about what will become of her when we are gone." A horrified silence had settled over the audience, and if Caesar looked close enough he could see that many had begun to cry. "We have done this before and the odds are in our favour even less than they were they first time around." She turned out to the crowd, her eyes filled with sadness. "I doubt I will be seeing any of you again. To all I have met, to all I was going to meet and to all who would see this farce ended, it has been a pleasure." 

Many of the other victors nodded their heads approvingly. With every interview that passed the crowd was becoming increasingly more distressed. Their plan was working exactly as they had hoped it would. 

"Finnick, I understand that you have a message for somebody out there, a special somebody," said Caesar, "Can we hear it?"

The heartthrob of Panem stared straight into the lens of the camera, his face almost pained, "My love," he began, "You have my heart, for all eternity. If- if I die in that arena, my last thought will be of your lips."

Kailani battled to keep her face carefully blank of emotion. She knew the camera would be on her after that, they just never seemed to get the message despite their constant denials that they _were not_ together. It was him and Annie, she knew that at least a few of them knew that. Annie. The guilt she was so good at ignoring rushing back with such force she almost cringed. It gnawed at her insides and Finnick coming to stand next to her did not help one bit. She felt sick. 

"We have seen a lot of tears here tonight," Caesar began, "But I see no tear's in Johanna's eyes. Johanna, you are angry, tell me why."

She laughed bitterly, "Well, yes. I'm angry. You know, I'm getting totally screwed over here. The deal was that if I won the Hunger Games, I got to live the rest of my life in peace. But now, _you want to kill me again_. Well, you know what? Fuck that!" she screamed, "And fuck everybody who had anything to do with it!" 

Both Katniss and Peeta couldn't help but gape at the screen as Johanna walked off to join the others. No one but them seemed surprised at her outburst, it was as if they had expected it. They understood that she was angry, but to so out rightly attack the President for his actions. They couldn't decide if she was brave or stupid. 

By the time Katniss was introduced, the audience was an absolute wreck. People had been weeping, collapsing, yelling and even calling for change. The sight of her in her white silk bridal gown nearly saw a riot break out. Almost all of her time had been spent by time they quietened enough to hear her talk.

"So, Katniss," started Caesar, "Obviously this is a very emotional night for everyone. Is there anything you would like to say?"

"Only that I'm sorry you won't get to be at my wedding," she said, her voice trembling, "But I'm glad you at least get to see me in my dress. Isn't it just the most beautiful thing?" She began to twirl slowly. That's when it happened. It began to change. Tendrils of fire ate its way up from the bottom of the dress, changing white to black, but having no effect on Katniss herself. When the smoke cleared, that's when they all realised what she was. Black wings spread out from behind her, the feathers ruffling as they stretched. She had turned her into the Mockingjay.

From the look on Caesar's face, he knew exactly what it was and furthermore, the message behind it, but he did his best to brush past it. The victors too, knew what it meant. Some of them exchanged brief glances. Cinna was playing a dangerous game. 

Peeta and Caesar shared their usual banter in the last interview of the night. Katniss and his feelings for her and the Quell were a running theme throughout. He even revealed that they were in fact already married, and that they had had a traditional ceremony back home, just the two of them. It was a conversation going much smoother than the others had.

Caesar put a comforting arm around the young tribute's shoulders. "I must confess, I'm glad you two had at least a few months of happiness together."

Peeta shook his head, "I'm not," he said, "I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially."

Caesar looked taken aback, "Surely even a brief time is better than no time?"

"Maybe I'd think that too, Caesar," he said, bitterly, "If it weren't for the baby."

It took a moment, where everyone was in a kind of shocked silence, and then the bomb exploded. Accusations of injustice and barbarism and cruelty flew in every direction. The crowd moaned and shrieked and cried. Despite his best efforts, Caesar could not rein them back in again. Peeta joined the other victors and immediately took Katniss' hand in his own. That's when it happened. Along the line, all the victors began to join hands, join as one. A few, like Enobaria and Brutus were unsure, but too caught up in the demands of those around them to refuse. For the first time since what must have been the Dark Days, there was a public show of unity among the districts. And the government realised it too. As they raised their joined hands in the air, the cameras stopped rolling and the lights went out, plunging them all into darkness. But it was too late. 

Everyone had already seen.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5:**

"Oh my god," breathed Kailani, striding into their apartment, "It's insane out there! They've lost their minds!" She looked out of the window to the streets below.

Finnick followed behind her, "What did you expect? The girl is pregnant. It changes everything."

There were people everywhere, all of them gathering in large groups outside the Training Centre, and even on the fourth floor they could hear their protests. "He won't call off the Games though. Snow won't admit defeat," she said.

"No, he won't," agreed Finnick.

As soon as the lights went out, all hell broke loose. Civilians and Peacekeepers filled the stage. There was pushing and shoving, yells and screams. They had to fight their way through to make it to the elevator and get out of there. It was complete and utter chaos.

Kailani glanced towards the doors anxiously. Her mother was still out there. When half an hour passed and she and Asher were still missing, she began pacing. Finnick was about to go out there and look for them where there was a ding, and the two emerged from the elevator, frazzled, but otherwise alright.

"Oh, thank god," said Kailani, a breath of relief leaving her.

"Where have you been?" Finnick enquired, concern written across his features. Mags was looking rather pale.

"Trying to get back!" snapped Asher, "It wasn't easy, you know. You two are tributes, I reckon it was probably a bit easier for both of you."

Finnick scoffed, "Not really," he stated, dryly. They had been bombarded more than anyone else, of that he was sure.

Asher sighed, he knew this was no time to be arguing. "You should both be getting to bed, you didn't need to wait up for us. You have a big day tomorrow."

Finnick and Kailani exchanged looks. This was it, the time to say goodbye. They would not see them in the morning, this was their one and only chance. Tension filled every corner of the room.

Kailani gave a small smile. Well, they could never have avoided this moment forever. "We're glad you could come with us, Ash. Really, we are." She glanced sideways at Finnick, "You've helped us a lot over the years, we could not have asked for anyone better to mentor us."

Asher shuffled his feet, awkwardly, "You kids never really needed my help," he muttered, "Not then and not now. You both knew exactly what you needed to do, just like you do this time around." His discomfort with the conversation was obvious to everyone.

"We did and we do," agreed Finnick, "But we're thankful towards you nonetheless. We've known you our entire lives, we're glad you're here now as well."

There was a long moment where Asher didn't move. He seemed to be battling with himself about something, and then, he must have come to some kind of decision because he moved forwards and engulfed both of them in a hug. Finnick chuckled and Kailani smiled. He acted tough, but really, he was just a big softie inside.

"You kids look out for each other," he said, pulling away.

Finnick nodded obediently, "Always."

Mags hobbled forwards, slow but determined. She placed a hand on both Finnick and Kailani's faces, her eyes sad but accepting. She knew there was nothing she could have done about this, about the Games, about their being reaped. "I love you both," she whispered, in her near unintelligible voice that they had long since learned to understand, "So much."

Kailani hugged her mother tightly, placing a light kiss to her cheek before Finnick did the same. He and Mags were rather close, had been for years. She was family to him, had looked after him for a long time. He would miss her as much as her daughter would. No other words between the four were said though. There was nothing else they _could_ say. _Goodbye_ sounded too final, they had said all that they needed to say and anything else that they just couldn't bring themselves to speak out loud, they said with their eyes. That would have to be enough.

Kailani looked to Finnick, "I'll see you tomorrow," she said. Her eyes flickered to Mags and Asher one more time and then with a deep breath, she turned on the spot and disappeared down the hallway. Quietly, Finnick trailed after her. Without a word they went their separate ways. There was nothing they had to say to each other, nothing that would be at all appropriate the night before they went into the arena to fight for their lives, _to fight for the rebellion_. They had said enough over the last few days, there was nothing else now. Tributes entered the arena alone, but they would see one another soon enough. They had a plan, and they were intent on keeping to it. So, they said nothing. They went to their rooms, showered and crawled into bed. It was as simple as that. Thoughts and scenarios filled their minds, but they pushed them aside. More than anything, they needed their rest. Sleep was imperative, no matter how difficult it was to find it. 

As soon as dawn broke, Kailani was awake and ready. She did not need the wakeup call from her stylist, she had already set an alarm for herself. Her eyes snapped open, her mind started into gear. This was it, the day had come, everything they had been preparing for. The 75th Hunger Games. The Third Quarter Quell. This was the day their battle for survival begun. 

Finnick mounted the ladder to the hovercraft with ease, the electric current freezing him in his place. His face was blank as a doctor inserted the tracker into her arm and the hovercraft took off. Every tribute would go through the same process, the Gamemakers wanted to be able to locate them throughout the arena. They didn't want to lose anyone in there, that could make their attempts to kill them much more difficult. They didn't want to lose anyone in there and let them have a free run. No, that would be too kind. As they waited for the launch, his stylist looked over this year's outfit for the tributes. It was a skin tight bodysuit of some kind, which zipped up from the back. The material was light, that it might provide some protection from the sun, but not much, and it would do nothing to keep out the cold or repel water. A belt strapped around the middle, perhaps to hold weapons, it couldn't have held any other purpose. Unfortunately, the outfit didn't gave away very much. But that was no matter, he would see for himself what they were up against. It was only a matter of time. A voice warning him to get ready for launch sounded in his ears, and with no hesitation whatsoever, stepped onto the circular metal plate. Glass lowered down around him, and his muscles tightened in anticipation as suddenly, the plate began to rise. 

Brightness filled her vision, and Kailani had to blink a few times before her vision cleared. But when it did, the most beautiful sight she had ever seen met her eyes. Water. Blue and churning, the waves lapping underneath her. She was surrounded by it. They all were.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 75th Hunger Games begin!" The voice of Claudius Templesmith, the Hunger Games announcer, thundered through the arena. In less than a minute, the gong would sound and all the tributes would be free to move. Kailani spotted the Cornucopia, golden and shining, placed in the very centre of them all. That was where she and Finnick had agreed to meet. Thin strips of land radiated from the small island the Cornucopia sat on, about ten to twelve, they were like spokes on a wheel, all at an equal distance from each other. Between the spokes was water, not flat or still, but full of waves, and in the middle, upon their metal plates, a pair of tributes. There were two options, you either swim in, towards the Cornucopia, or out, towards the dense jungle that lay behind them. Kailani knew exactly where she was going to go. The smell of salt filled the air and she breathed deep, this arena was not one that would work well for many, but for District Four, it was perfect. Suddenly, the odds had swung in their favour. The gong sounded, loud and echoing. She leapt into the water, as straight and true as an arrow. The Hunger Games had well and truly begun.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6:**

Katniss did not hesitate as she dived into the water. She knew there was no way she would be able to swim all the way to the Cornucopia, it was too far for her. Instead, she went left, in the direction of the land strip, and even that was a larger distance than she was used too. Navigating the waves was vastly different to the still lake she swum back home. But strangely, she cut through the water effortlessly. Her body felt light, and quickly, she reached the land strip and pulled herself out. Dripping wet, she sprinted down the sandy stretch for the Cornucopia. Most of the other tributes were still struggling in the water when she made it to the entrance. But they were of no concern to her, the most important thing was to get her hands on a weapon. That was the first step. Unlike last year when all the supplies were spread out through the Cornucopia, this year, everything was piled towards the front, and right in front of her, a bow and a sheath of arrows. It seemed like the Gamemakers had provided them with only weapons this time around. Quickly, she slung the arrows over her back, the bow clutched tightly in her hand. Something shifted in the air, and the hairs on the back of her neck pricked up. Katniss froze. Someone behind her. With lightning fast movements, she pulled an arrow from her sheath and armed her bow as she turned to face her enemy. She recognised him immediately. It was Finnick, glistening and gorgeous, with a trident poised to attack. She was hardly surprised. 

He held his wrist up, where a gold bracelet glistened innocently in the sunlight. In all the drama of last night, Haymitch had managed to find him and give it to him. He said to claim it as his token and show it to Katniss when he found her, that she would understand. Finnick was going to assume he was right because she hadn't let her arrow fly yet.

"I think we're allies," he said, his voice careful.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Where did you get that?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Where do you think?" There was a flash of movement behind her and he tensed, "Get down!" he commanded. Katniss immediately ducked and as the male tribute from District Five pounced, he threw his trident. The weapon hit with such force it knocked him from his feet. He hit the ground with a trident imbedded in his chest. "Don't trust One and Two," he stated.

"That's not very nice," said a voice, it was Cashmere. She raised an eyebrow, a dagger in hand. Katniss pulled back her arrow, but before she could, the tribute from District One threw her dagger. It landed in the throat of the woman from District Five, just about to launch herself at Finnick. He gaped at her, and she didn't stop him as he moved to grab another trident, as well as a double-ended spear.

"What is this? What are you doing?" he asked.

Her face softened, as Gloss skidded into the Cornucopia, his hair dripping, his eyes sharp. "We're making the better choice," she said, simply. The other Careers, what was left of them, were getting close now. Finnick eyed the brother and sister suspiciously, as Katniss sent an arrow flying towards Enobaria, which as she dived into the water, missed its mark. Cashmere and Gloss had never been a part of the plan, but perhaps they could be useful. After all, they had helped them and even that, was something out of style for them. If they wanted them dead, they would be trying to kill them now. Another arrow whizzed past him, but it missed its target.

"We should go," said Gloss, "We'll all be killed if we stay here." As much as it pained him, he was right. Again, he looked around.

"But Kailani isn't here," he said, despite himself. Gloss glanced at him, and frowned.

Something must have happened, she would have been here by now otherwise. The water played into their advantage, if anything, she should have reached the Cornucopia first. She would not have even bothered with the land strips, she would have dived into the water and stayed there, swimming all the way. She was quicker than he was, she should have been here by now. He looked around, but still there was no sight of her. Something else caught his attention though, Brutus was barrelling towards them, like a tank.

"Do something about that, would you?" said Cashmere, glancing at Katniss. Wordlessly, she strung her bow and sent an arrow towards him, but he dived out of the way and into the water. "We can't stay here," she repeated, firmly. "Grab what you want and let's get out of here."

Katniss claimed another sheath of arrows, as well as a few knives as did Cashmere and Gloss. It was still a dangerous play to trust them, but for now, he wouldn't argue with it. Finnick knew exactly where Katniss would head next. Peeta still stood atop his metal plate, stranded. Obviously, he could not swim. Katniss took off and the three of them followed without question. Apparently, he wasn't the only one unsurprised. District 2, all that was left of the Careers, made it to the Cornucopia and pulled themselves to shore. Katniss began stripping herself of the weapons she had collected, meaning to jump into the water, but Finnick stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulder, "I'll get him."

Peeta was shaking his head, pointing at the spoke behind them, but none of them noticed. Hesitation crossed Katniss' features, "I can," she insisted.

He ignored her, dropping his weapons to the ground, "Better not to exert yourself. Not in your condition," he said, reaching down to pat her abdomen. Allowing a pregnant girl into the Games, that was the government sinking to an entirely new level of low. "Cover me," he said, before pushing off from the edge and diving into the sea perfectly. He didn't even wait for her to respond. It did not take him long to reach Peeta, a few long strokes and he was there. The District Twelve male shook his head, "What are you doing!?" he yelled, "I could have waited!" Well, that wasn't the reception Finnick had been expecting.

"What?" he said, his face twisted in confusion.

Peeta pointed at the spoke over from them, behind Katniss. "Kailani is over there! She's been fighting the guy from Nine since the gong sounded!"

Finnick felt all the air leave him. The water had been fairly still before, there were waves, and movement of course, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. He could have sworn that no one was in there anymore, that the tributes that had been there had already escaped. He was wrong. They must have been under the water because they had resurfaced now, someone clearly trying to gain the upper hand on the other. Katniss turned her bow to them, but Finnick knew she wouldn't find a clear shot, they were moving around too much, spraying water into the air. Cashmere placed a hand on her arm and made her lower the bow. He swore loudly, he _knew_ something had happened. This was no time to panic though. He looked up at Peeta, "Jump, I'll help you across," he called.

Thankfully, the boy didn't argue. He jumped into the water and Finnick took a hold of him, keeping his head above water and towing him to land. As soon as Peeta had a grip on the rocks, Finnick hauled himself out of the small sea and scrambled across the strip of land to the other side, "Kailani!" he shouted, a tinge of desperation in his voice. She had disappeared again, but someone else was already in the water going after her. Gloss. 

This was not how she thought the beginning of the Games would go. The water was her domain, it should have helped her, not hindered her. Kailani could feel her lungs tighten and she longed to take a breath of air, she needed oxygen, she needed it desperately. She struggled in her enemy's grip, her movements slow and heavy against the wall of water encasing her. Somehow, she managed to escape long enough to break the surface of the water and take large gasps of air.

Kailani had had a plan. As soon as she had seen the water that surrounded them, she knew she was going to swim to the Cornucopia. It was the logical option for her, the point was to play to their strengths, and swimming was her strength. She knew she would make it there faster by water than land. The man across from her, Neron from District Nine had other plans. He must have thought it was the perfect opportunity to take her out, to eliminate a large threat in the Games, because he targeted her especially. He did not dive towards land or the Cornucopia, he dived towards _her_. He would have had only one shot, miss or act too slowly and she would have outswum him easily. He did not miss. Kailani entered the water, but before she could get away, something had grabbed her foot. He was much bigger and stronger than her, and when he dragged her back and his fist connected with her face, she knew she was in trouble. Her mind became fuzzy and her vision blurred, before she knew it his hands were around her throat and he was pushing her underneath the water. She had fought back though, managing to stay alive. Kailani _refused_ to die so pathetically, in her own element at the beginning of the Games. No, she would not allow it. Her lungs still burned, she choked and coughed from all the times he had tried to drown her, her muscles screamed loudly, protesting any further movement, but she ignored all of it.

"Kailani!"

_Finnick. _She didn't look over to him, she could not afford too, but Neron did. He realised now, that he had taken too long to finish the job. He was outnumbered, there was no way he could escape alive. She suspected that had she allowed him the time, that would have made him more desperate in his attempts to kill. But in that millisecond of a moment where he was distracted, Kailani struck out. With every bit of strength she had left, she slammed her fist into the side of his face. His head snapped sideways and ignore the pain in her hand, she launched herself forwards, latching onto his back like an octopus. Her legs wrapped around his waist tightly, and her arms wrapped around his neck in a kind of chokehold. Neron flailed about in her grip, trying to escape, but she refused to let go. Gradually, his movements began to slow, and his limbs became weak. The only reason they stayed afloat was because of the belts they wore, it appeared the Gamemakers didn't want those who couldn't swim to drown. That would have made for a boring start. They bobbed precariously on the water's surface, every now and again tipping at awkward angles. But that was not enough to force Kailani into letting him go. Only when his heart stopped beating and his breathing ceased, did she finally set him free. It wasn't Finnick by her side, then, but Gloss. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her upright and she stared at him, blearily.

"What are you-" She coughed, violently and he rubbed a hand across her back.

"I'm following your advice, I've heard it's quite good," said Gloss.

She couldn't believe it, not in the slightest but she was much too tired to continue questioning him. She hadn't even noticed that he had jumped into the water to help her until he was there. Back home, she could happily swim for hours, the time would fly by and still she would not be weary. But this had been different, she had been fighting for her life. She had no weapons, he was bigger than her, it had taken everything she had, every last bit of will, to not let herself be killed. Now, all she felt was drained. She was breathing heavily and her vision spinning as Gloss boosted her out of the water and onto the strip of land. Finnick was there immediately as she collapsed, exhausted. She coughed and spluttered, and as embarrassing as it was vomited too, all the salt water she had swallowed making its presence very much known. Finnick rubbed her back soothingly, "Feeling better?" he asked, as she tried to catch her breath.

Kailani shook her head, "No," she said, hoarsely. But that didn't matter. Not here, not in the arena. Determinedly, she pushed herself to her feet, only to sway dangerously on the spot. Everything was tilting at an unhealthy angle, at least, it was to her. Katniss and Cashmere were the ones who steadied her.

Finnick ran a hand through his damp hair, "We need to go, but you're in no condition to run." His eyes flashed angrily for a moment, as he took in the bruise she could feel forming on her face, and the red marks she was sure covered her throat. He turned away. "So until you are," he said, "I'll carry you."

"Finnick-"

"There's no other choice and you know it. Don't argue with me, just get on."

She frowned and glanced towards the Cornucopia where Enobaria and Brutus had gathered. They did not appear to be in any mood to chase them, but she knew that could change at any moment. She sighed. Unfortunately, it seemed she had no other choice. Finnick would not leave her behind, and she did not want to slow them down. "Fine," she conceded. With as much dignity as she could muster, she climbed onto Finnick's back. 

With Kailani comfortable, albeit still somewhat pale, Finnick handed her a spear, gripped a trident himself, and together, all six of them ran away from the Cornucopia, trying to put as much distance between it and them as possible. Katniss tried hard not to think about Beetee, who they had seen floating in the water struggling to get to land, or Wiress, being left behind. There was no time to recover them and she wasn't entirely sure Finnick wouldn't kill them if they did, she was even less sure about Gloss and Cashmere. The sand ended and woods began to rise sharply. No, not woods. Katniss had seen woods, and this was different. It was more like _jungle_. The trees were unfamiliar, with smooth trunks and few branches. The earth beneath their feet was black and spongy, often obscured by tangles of vines with colourful blossoms. And while the sun shined hot and bright above them, the air is warm and heavy with moisture. Their outfits evaporate of seawater easily, but with the humidity, sweat caused the material to cling to their skin, damp and warm, it was far from a comfortable feeling.

Of the six of them, Peeta was chosen to take the lead as they navigated the inclining terrain, he cut through the patches of dense vegetation with his long knife and created a clear path for them as they walked. Cashmere was second, Finnick third, because even though he is the most powerful, he had his hands full with Kailani draped across his back, Gloss fourth, and her bringing up the rear end. Besides, the trident, a spear, they are weapons less suited to the jungle environment than her bow and arrows were. Between the steep ascent and the heat, it doesn't take long for them to become short of breath. She and Peeta had been training for this kind of thing though, conditioning their bodies and Finnick and Gloss, well, they were both such amazing physical specimens as it was, they climbed two kilometres before Finnick requested a rest. And even then, she suspected it was only because Kailani had made him.

The foliage surrounding them had hidden the wheel from sight by now, and to get their bearings somewhat, Katniss decided it was as good a time as any to see it she could see anything from where they were, see if she could see any of the other tributes. She scaled a tree with rubbery limbs in order to get a better view. Immediately, she wished that she hadn't. Around the Cornucopia, the ground appeared as if it had been bleeding. The water was stained purple, bodies lay on the ground and floated in the sea, but at this distance, Katniss could not tell who it was that had lived or died. In their matching outfits, everyone looked the same. All she could tell for certain was that some of them were still locked in battle. Their tiny figures ran and dodged about. The show of unity the night before, where the victors had all joined hands, meant nothing now. There was no truce in the arena, nor had she expected there to be, but, she had to admit, she did think that perhaps the other victors would show some restraint, or _something_, before they all jumped back into massacre mode. These people knew each other, _they were friends_.

Katniss knew that she had only one friend in the arena. And he was not from District One or Four.

The slight breeze cooled her cheeks and she came to a decision. Haymitch may have been encouraging her to make an alliance with Finnick and Kailani, that they could help them, but Katniss disagreed. She believed there was no future in the alliance, and they were too dangerous to let go, the only option she had left was to kill them but it would be even harder with Cashmere and Gloss her now as well. Those two, they were probably just waiting to kill them all in their sleeps, then again, maybe she had missed something about them. Either way, they were just as dangerous. There was a small amount of trust between them now, perhaps as they walked she could shoot them all from behind, she would have to be quick though. It was awful and despicable, but waiting would only make it worse and with four of them, she would need all the advantage that she could get. She had to do it, and she had to do it now. With one final glance towards the battling figures and blood-stained land, she hardened her resolve and slid to the ground. Finnick was waiting for her, Gloss too. It was as if they had come to some kind of an agreement, a truce perhaps they actually trusted each other now. They became more dangerous by the second. The two must have known what she was going to see, the conclusion she would come too, because he stood with his trident held in his hand, his position casually defensive as Gloss sharpened a dagger. If she attacked, they were ready.

"What's going on down there, Katniss?" asked Finnick, "Have they all joined hands? Taken a vow of non-violence? Tossed the weapons into the sea in defiance of the Capitol?"

Kailani watched them carefully, Cashmere hovering next to her. She was still tired, that much was clear as she leaned against a tree, but her eyes were alert, she was not an easy target. If Katniss made a move against Finnick, she knew Kailani would kill her. Or worse, she would kill Peeta. The same went for Gloss and Cashmere, they were siblings, they were family in this together. She had to be fast, faster than she had ever been before. Perhaps if she took out one, the other would be too in shock to do anything.

"No," she answered.

"No," repeated Finnick, "Because whatever happened in the past is in the past. And no one in this arena was a victor by chance." He eyed Peeta for a moment. "Except maybe Peeta."

Finnick knew, then, exactly what she and Haymitch knew. About Peeta, being truly, deep-down better than the rest of them. He was good and kind. Finnick took out that tribute from District Five without blinking an eye. Kailani watched the life of the guy from Nine slip away, she gave him no chance to live. Cashmere had killed that woman from Nine, and her brother would do the same without batting an eyelid. Katniss was no better, she had shot to kill when targeting Enobaria and Brutus. Peeta would have attempted to negotiate before anything else, tried for some kind of wider alliance. But the people in this arena were not crowned for their compassion.

She held Finnick's gaze, weighing his speed against her own. The time it would take to send an arrow through his brain versus the time it would take for his trident to reach her body. She could see him waiting for her to make the first move, calculating whether or not he should block or attack first. Peeta stepped deliberately in between the two of them.

"So, how many are dead?" he asked.

Katniss almost wants to shove him out of the way, to take her shot at Finnick anyway. But he remains planted firmly between them.

"Hard to say," she said, answering his question, "At least six, I think. And they're still fighting."

He nodded, "Let's keep moving, then. We need water."

So far, there had been no sign of freshwater. No lake, stream or pond, nothing at all, and the salt water was undrinkable, it was worse for you than drinking nothing at all. The weakened Kailani was evidence enough of that. They could survive for the time being, but very, _very_ soon, they would be in desperate need of some kind of freshwater.

"Better find some soon," said Gloss, "We need to be undercover when the others come hunting us tonight."

_Us_. Katniss glanced at Finnick and Gloss, perhaps killing them would have been slightly premature. Finnick did after all have Haymitch's stamp of approval, and he seemed to trust Gloss well enough, albeit with some amount of reluctance. They hadn't done any harm yet and worst case scenario, she could always kill them in their sleep. For now, keeping them all alive was the smarter option. She let the moment between them pass.

It seemed the absence of any water only intensified their thirst. Kailani was being carried again as they trekked upwards. Katniss suspected that she might have had a concussion and her hand, well, if it wasn't broken it was most certainly fractured. That hit had held a lot of power behind it, she was sure it had almost knocked the guy she was fighting out. It didn't seem to bother her too much though, she had wrapped it tightly in some kind of moss. Peeta had offered to carry her for a bit, but Finnick had turned him down. Gloss had tried as well, but he had practically growled at that suggestion. Katniss could hardly say she was surprised. They all kept an eye out as they walked, looking for any sign of water. There was nothing. Not even a drop, or a trickle. Just nothing.

After almost another kilometre, the end to the tree line reached her sights. It appeared that they had finally climbed as high as they could. "Maybe we'll have better luck on the other side," she said, "Find a spring or something."

But there was no other side. She realised it before anyone else. Her eyes caught the strange rippling in the air, like a warped pane of glass. Beetee and Wiress had pointed out something similar to her in training, it was in front of the table of Gamemakers. At first she had thought it was glare of the sun or heat shimmering up off the ground. But the fact that it was fixed in space, unmoving, was what made her connect the dots between the two instances. It was a force field. Her cry of warning came too late as Peeta swung his knife to slash away at some of the vines. There was a sharp, zapping sound and for a brief moment, the trees were gone and she could see open space over a short stretch of bare earth. Then Peeta was flung backwards, knocking Finnick and Kailani over.

Katniss rushed over to where he lay motionless on the ground, his body caught in a web of vines. "Peeta?" The faint smell of singed hair surrounded him. "Peeta!" She shook him slightly, but he remained unresponsive. Katniss could feel the panic beginning to settle inside her, but she willed herself to stay calm. Her fingers fumbled across his lips, where she felt no warm air whatsoever, despite him moments ago having been panting. She leaned down and pressed her ear against his chest, where she always rested her head, where she _knew_ she would hear the strong and steady beat of his heart.

Instead, she found silence.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7:**

"PEETA!" screamed Katniss.

Kailani could only watch as the girl shook her district partner harder, trying to get him to respond, to open his eyes, anything, she even resorted to slapping him. But it was no use, his heart had stopped. She could see it in his eerie stillness; it was like when fishermen were pulled into shore after being lost to the sea.

Finnick pushed Katniss aside, "Let me."

Of course, that did not mean all hope was lost. There was still time to save Peeta, they just had to work quickly. His fingers sought out the correct position on his chest, and as soon as he found it, Finnick pinched Peeta's nostrils shut.

"NO!" yelled Katniss, hurling herself forwards, but Gloss grabbed her and held her in place. She didn't trust them, not at all, especially not when it seemed like a group of Career were teaming against her. Whether she knew it or not though, they were trying to help Peeta and Finnick would be able to do nothing if Katniss interfered. Tiredly, Kailani got to her feet and nodded to him. Again, he closed off Peeta's nose. Katniss struggled harder in Gloss' grip, but he was much too strong for her, there was no way she could escape. Almost hysterically though, Katniss continued to fight, using everything she had.

"Stop it!" Kailani bellowed, trying to get through to her, "Stop! Finnick's trying to help him! Look! Look at what he is doing!"

Finnick tilted Peeta's mouth open and immediately began blowing air into his lungs. Katniss stilled. Maybe she had finally realised what was going on. Kailani placed a hand on Gloss' arm and warily, he loosened his hold slightly. Finnick was not trying to kill Peeta, he was trying to resuscitate him. They watched as his chest rose and fell with every breath, and then, with the heels of his hands, Finnick began to pump the spot over Peeta's heart, trying with all his might to restart it.

Cashmere gave her brother a long look and Gloss let Katniss go. "He knows what he's doing," she assured, softly. It was mandatory in District Four to learn CPR, they were all taught in school as children. There were too many accidents and drowning's that occurred in the fishing industry not to learn. She and Finnick had already encountered a fair few instances in their lifetimes where such a skill had been required. Some of those people involved had been saved, some of them hadn't been. She knew Katniss would have no idea of that though. All she would see was Peeta unconscious and not breathing before her very eyes. Right now, there was every possibility her baby could lose its father. She must have been terrified. Gently, Kailani guided Katniss to Peeta's side and she kneeled down, leaning in anxiously as Finnick repeated his actions. The next few minutes were agonising, they were quickly reaching the point where there would be no return for Peeta, and Finnick would have no choice but to stop in his attempts to save him. With every second that passed, Katniss seemed to fall into an even deeper despair. And then came the sound they had all been hoping to hear. Peeta gave a small cough and his eyes fluttered open. Katniss flung herself at him, brushing strands of his damp, blonde hair aside, "Peeta?" she said, quietly.

Letting out an almost imperceptible breath of air, Finnick sat back. His green eyes turned to her. They needed no words to communicate their feelings, they were obvious. That had been _way_ too close for either of their liking. If they had lost Peeta, Kailani had the feeling they would have lost Katniss as well. Whether it was to sorrow or anger, it didn't matter, because she would have been lost to them, lost in a world of despair and revenge. She would have been beyond reason and it would have undoubtedly ended in her death. Then what would they have done? Any chance of a rebellion would have been as dead as they were.

"Careful," muttered Peeta, weakly, "There's a force field up ahead." Katniss gave a watery laugh as tears ran down her cheeks. "Must be a lot stronger than the one on the Training Centre roof," he continued, "I'm all right, though. Just a little shaken."

"You were dead! Your heart stopped!" she burst out, her hands quickly covering her mouth to try and stop the sounds of her choked sobs leaving her.

Kailani moved to sit next to Finnick. All of the effort of climbing the terrain with her on his back and reviving Peeta from the dead, had started to tire even him. He was panting slightly, his eyes attempting to avoid the two from District Twelve, to give them at least the illusion of privacy. She planted herself down, and immediately he busied himself with tending to her hand. There was nothing he could do for it, but she let him fuss nonetheless. Gloss raised an eyebrow and imperceptibly, she shrugged.

"Well, it seems to be working now," said Peeta, "It's alright, Katniss." She nodded her head, but still, the sobs escaped her. Worry crossed over his face, "Katniss?"

"It's okay," said Cashmere, unconcerned. "It's just her hormones from the baby."

Kailani hummed her agreement, and eyed them curiously. The way Katniss only now seemed to _truly_ realise what she had almost lost, the way Peeta seemed surprised by her reaction. "To be fair though, you did almost die."

Katniss shook her head, "No, it's not-" She couldn't even finish. She broke off into another round of hysterical sobbing. If she was going to say it wasn't hormones, she had completely destroyed that argument. Katniss knew it as well. She glared at Kailani and Finnick through her tears, almost daring them to say something. They didn't.

"How are you?" Finnick asked Peeta, "Do you think you can move on?"

Immediately, Katniss cut in, "No, he has to rest."

She was right, he probably should rest. But they just didn't have the time, they were too exposed where they were, they needed to keep moving. Kailani was about to say as much when something appeared to catch Katniss' eye. A golden disc around Peeta's neck that had the symbol of a mockingjay engraved into it.

"Is this your token?" she asked, fingering it lightly.

Peeta nodded, "Yes. Do you mind that I used your mockingjay? I wanted us to match," he said.

"No, of course I don't mind."

Kailani looked down at her own token. It was the same one she had used in her first Games. A ring given to her by her mother. Moulded from white gold, the band was designed to look almost like waves, all flowing together in the centre to surround a single, small, blue sapphire. It had cost a fortune, she was sure. Mags had given it to her when she was twelve, the year she became eligible for the Hunger Games. Who would have ever thought that it would see _two_ in its lifetime? Certainly, not her.

"So, you want to camp here, then?" questioned Finnick, staying as patient as he could with the two teenagers.

"I don't think that's an option," answered Peeta, "Staying here with no water, no protection. I feel all right, really. If we could just go slowly."

Kailani almost wanted to hug him. Moving slowly was probably the best thing she had heard all day. Finally, Finnick wouldn't have to carry her.

"Slowly would be better than not at all," said Gloss, offering Peeta a hand up. He hesitated, just for a moment before taking it with a nod of gratitude. Kailani pushed herself up, and held her spear experimentally. Gripping it too tight with her hand was painful, but she was confident that if it came down to it, she would be able to fight well enough. She just had to adjust her technique slightly. For the time being, it would work as a wonderful walking stick.

Katniss regained her composure, "I'll take the lead," she announced.

Peeta started to object, but Kailani cut him off, "No, let her do it." Her voice was still rough from all the salt water, but she spoke firmly. She looked at Katniss, "You knew that force field was there, didn't you? You tried to warn us." She nodded. "How did you know?"

Katniss hesitated as all eyes fell to her, waiting for some kind of explanation. She had seen something or known something the rest of them hadn't. Kailani was eyeing their surroundings carefully during their trek, looking for anything out of place, listening for anything that didn't sound right and she had caught nothing. Not a flicker, not a whisper. _Nothing_. Katniss had known what she was looking for, recognised the signs, Kailani wanted to know how.

Katniss just shrugged, "I don't know. It's almost as if I could hear it. Listen," she said. They all fell silent, trying to hear what she apparently could. They heard insects, birds chattering away, even the breeze blowing through the foliage, but no indication of a force field. Kailani eyed Katniss with a hint of suspicion in her gaze. She got the feeling the seventeen year old was lying. She supposed it didn't _really_ matter whether Katniss told the truth or not, she was sure she had her reasons for keeping the information from them. They were after all on national television.

"I don't hear anything," said Peeta.

"Yes," insisted Katniss, "It's like when the fence around District Twelve is on, only much, much quieter." Again, everyone listened intently. Finnick was beginning to wonder if there really was something she could hear and they couldn't, or if she was just putting it on. It seemed awfully convenient, and his hearing was fantastic. Surely whatever she could hear, he would be able to as well. "There!" she said, "Can't you hear it? It's coming from right where Peeta got shocked!"

He shook his head, "I don't hear it either," he said, "But if you do, by all means, take the lead." To be honest, Finnick couldn't really care less whether she could hear it or not, as long as she could keep them away from it. That force field had done quite a number on Peeta, he did not particularly feel like experiencing the same thing.

Katniss turned her head from side to side, a look of confusion on her face, "That's weird," she said, "I can only hear it out of my left ear."

"The one that the doctors reconstructed?" asked Peeta.

That's right, the explosion during last year's Games must have completely destroyed her hearing. She was so close to the blast, he was surprised the doctors in the Capitol had been able to fix her hearing at all. She was very lucky.

"Yeah," Katniss said, giving a shrug, "Maybe they did a better job than they though. You know, sometimes I do hear funny things on that side. Things you wouldn't ordinarily think have a sound. Like insect wings. Or snow hitting the ground."

Kailani looked sceptical, but she also must have decided it didn't matter or given up entirely knowing there was no point arguing about it, because she nudged Katniss forwards, "In that case, off you go girl on fire, lead on."

They continued to move through the jungle in their line formation, knowing it was the safest way to travel. Katniss at the front, navigated them away from the force field, making sure they didn't accidently run into it. Kailani moved behind her, tired and weak, but vigilant enough. Then, came Cashmere, Peeta, he relied heavily on the staff Finnick had fashioned for him out of a branch and Gloss, the larger man as alert as ever and last, but certainly not least, he brought up the rear, always on the lookout for anything unusual.

At one point, Kailani's eyes lit up and she pulled a handful of nuts down from a tree. In fact, no, that would have been an understatement. She cut down an entire branch with one swift movement as if she weren't injured and began snacking on them happily. She offered them to Cashmere, who shrugged and took some. He hadn't been aware they were all that good friends, but then again, she tended to make friends with everyone and he hadn't known she was doing her brother either, so he could hardly talk. Finnick highly doubted that the nuts would do _anything_ to hydrate his old friend, but at least she wouldn't be starving. And who knows, maybe they would distract from the thirst. Katniss was not quite so pleased, she had a handful of nuts herself, but she wasn't eating them, she had been throwing them in front of her to help guide them on their way.

"Kailani!" she cried, "What are you doing!? You can't eat them! They could be poisonous!" Katniss was acting as if Kailani were a complete idiot. As if she would ever eat something that would kill her. Cashmere rolled her eyes, haughtily and pointedly popped another nut into her mouth. She trusted her judgement it seemed, she knew better than Katniss. Furthermore, as if _he would let her_ eat something that would kill her.

Even with a mouthful of nuts, Kailani managed a look of complete incredulity. She hated it when people thought she was stupid, that her beauty must somehow take away from her brains. It happened too often, and it infuriated her. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and with deliberate slowness she chewed on the nuts before swallowing them. "Mmm, yummy," she said.

Katniss turned to him for help, perhaps expecting him to immediately take her side since it involved Kailani's life. He just laughed. She should probably have been more concerned with her own life at that point. "If Kailani is eating them, I'm sure they're edible," he said, simply. She smirked, triumphantly and offered him some. He took them without thought. They were nice, slightly sweet, they tasted kind of like cashews.

"But-"

"I trust Kailani," he stated, firmly. Katniss stared at him like he was insane, and he shook his head. She didn't understand. Kailani knew these kinds of things. Mags had been drilling them into her as soon as she was old enough to understand. As a victor of the Games, perhaps she had always known her daughter would find herself in the same situation. She would have hoped otherwise, but it always seemed to work out that way. The children of victors did not have very good odds in escaping the Hunger Games. Maybe it was extra punishment for their parents, for surviving, forced to send their own children in to attempt the same thing they had. Nonetheless, Kailani was quite the expert. More so than Katniss, that was guaranteed.

"I assure you," said Kailani, dropping another nut into her mouth, "That they're safe to eat." Katniss still looked wary, and Kailani rolled her eyes. "If you must know, my mother taught me. These nuts featured in her own Games, I recognised them immediately. They kept her alive." She offered her hand, "Try one."

Peeta nodded encouragingly, and reluctantly Katniss took one. She chewed so tentatively it was as if she thought one bite would see her drop dead. Kailani could not keep the amusement from her face as Katniss turned away stubbornly. She knew she had won that battle, and as wonderful a person as she was, as much as she looked after others before herself, even she enjoyed being right on occasion. He was glad she was showing signs of life again. Ever since they had found her she had been terrifyingly quiet, too weak to hold a conversation. She had recovered slightly, but watching her as they moved slowly through twisting vines and overhanging foliage, he could see that she was fading again. Not that she would admit it. Kailani had very few flaws, one of them however was her tendency to keep her pain to herself, hide how she really felt for the sake of others. She was in desperate need of water. They were all thirsty, but after all the salt water she had consumed and the fluids she had lost subsequently, Kailani was dehydrating at a dangerously fast rate. He had seen this before, after someone had almost drowned, the most important thing was to replace their fluids. There were instances where people had died for not following such advice. They needed to find water and fast. He wished that she would at least let him carry her again. She could save what little energy she had left. Kailani was stubborn though. It was a miracle she had let him carry her the first time around, really. The fact that she hadn't put up more of a fight was a clear indication of how tired she had been. Honestly, he had expected to have had to throw her over his shoulder and carry her kicking and screaming into the cover of the jungle. But she had gone willingly. It was so unlike her, it did nothing to make him feel better. _She had almost died_. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't help it. There was not much else to do as they walked. Even if she had managed to escape the sea, he was sure Enobaria and Brutus would have finished her off. They would have seen that she was too weak to recruit, and taken her out on the beach just like a number of others, he assumed. It made him feel sick that he had been _that_ close to losing her. If he had seen her face projected in the sky amongst the others who had died, he had no idea what he would have done. He knew the chances of them both making it out alive were small, but he had never thought about how he would react _if_ something were to happen to her, he had been so intent on avoiding the idea. Would he really have been able to put Katniss and Peeta before Kailani? He was not so sure. He knew he would have been near-inconsolable, he doubted he would been much use at all had she died. They probably would have been better off killing him then and there. She was the other half of his team, he would have been broken. Perhaps, for a time he would have been able to go on, to find the energy within himself to get Peeta and Katniss as far along as he could possibly get them, but it would not have lasted. Just thinking about it made him want to fall into a spiral of depression. Kailani clinging to him from behind had been a welcome comfort. She was _not_ dead. She was alive, she was fighting. He kept as close an eye on her as he did their surroundings while they continued their trek. He couldn't help it, he just had to make sure that she was still there, that she was still awake and breathing. He was careful to keep it discreet though. Kailani would have his head if she knew. The longer they walked, the more tired she became, Peeta was no better, he was struggling after his run-in with the force field, and after an hour, Katniss called them to a halt. "Let's take a break," she said, "I need to get another look from above."

They had made almost no progress since encountering the force field, Katniss it seemed had been trying to find some way over the hill, to the other side. She knew they needed water and she obviously thought they might have a greater chance of finding some over there. But there was no over there. They followed the line of the force field to no avail. Pulling herself up onto a branch, Katniss climbed a tall tree, disappearing into the leaves until they could barely see her anymore.

Kailani leaned tiredly against the trunk of a tree, and Finnick glanced at her, "You should let me carry you," he said.

She waved her uninjured hand, unconcerned, "I'm fine."

He shook his head, "Please, don't lie to me, not in here."

Kailani looked like he had kicked her. Any blood left in her face drained away and she swayed precariously. The grip she had on her spear tightened. He almost felt bad about accusing her of lying, _almost_. It was not as if he was wrong. Kailani was proving his exact point. She was injured, exhausted and _far_ from fine.

Peeta intervened. "We're only moving slow," he said, "Besides, we need someone unburdened to bring up the rear. You don't want her back there with you, do you? She would be a target."

"Gloss can switch with me."

"I can, but I won't," said Gloss. He folded his arms across his chest, and smiled. Finnick could have sworn he saw red.

"She needs help, don't be a dick," he spat.

Kailani closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "You guys…" she muttered, tiredly.

They ignored her. "Stop being so overprotective, she can take of herself," said Gloss, his voice bored. "You're not her brother, you're not her boyfriend-"

"And neither are you from what she's told me!"

Gloss shrugged, unaffected. "I never claimed I was."

"Look, I know her better than you do-"

"You guys," tried Kailani, again.

"-and I know when she's just being stubborn, when she's trying to hide things so how about you-"

"Shut up!" screamed Cashmere, suddenly. Her eyes were blazing and everyone wisely quietened. "How about we listen to Kailani, hm? Is that so hard for you two idiots?" She turned to Kailani. "Do you want help?"

She shook her head, immediately. "_No._"

Cashmere shot him a dark look and Finnick sighed. He glanced at Kailani, and she met his gaze, silently.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay to walk?" he asked. She nodded. "Alright, then." Finnick would just have to accept the situation as it was. There was a flash of light above them, and Katniss started making her way back down. She jumped to the ground and immediately fixed them all with a look that could mean nothing good.

"The force field has us trapped in a circle," she said, "A dome, really. I don't know how high it goes. There's the Cornucopia, the sea, and the jungle all around. Very exact. Very symmetrical. And not very large."

That explained why there was no way to go down the other side of the hill. That must have been where the arena ended.

"Did you see any water?" asked Finnick.

"Only the salt water where we started the Games."

"There must be some other source," said Peeta, frowning, "Or we'll all be dead in a matter of days."

"Well, the foliage is thick. Maybe there are ponds or springs somewhere," said Katniss, doubtfully.

Cashmere shook her head, "We would have found something by now, it has to be in some other form, something we're missing."

"At any rate, there's no pointing trying to find out what's over the edge of this hill, because the answer is nothing."

"There must be drinkable water between the force field and the wheel," Peeta insisted. And that could mean only one thing, heading back down towards the beach.

They decided to move down the slope only a few hundred and continue circling. With Peeta and Kailani they could not afford to get too close to the Cornucopia, they might have been able to last in a fight with their numbers and skill, but Katniss did not want to risk it, neither did he. The sun beat down on them ruthlessly, the heat turned air to steam and every now and again their eyes would play tricks on them and they would think they had found water when there was none. It was brutal, and by mid-afternoon it was clear that Peeta and Kailani could not go on. They had reached their limits.

He insisted they set up camp close to the force field. With the device just ten metres away it could be used as a weapon in the event that they were attacked. Katniss was not one to argue. He and Kailani pulled out blades of two metre long grass and immediately began weaving them together into mats. She was so tired and so weak that Kailani did her work lying down. Her face was pale, her eyes glazed and her lips had begun to crack, but weaving was such a simple task for them it seemed to only have a positive effect on her, it distracted her from the thirst. Not even the injury to her hand stopped her. Quietly, she taught Cashmere to do as they did, showing her the way despite her condition as Peeta moved around them, collecting nuts and frying them on the force field. The boy may not have been a killer, but he was rather smart that one. Methodically, he peeled off the shells and piled the meats on a leaf. Gloss and Katniss kept watch, but Finnick could tell she was feeling antsy. She continued to fidget, her eyes darting around, until finally, she gave up altogether.

"Gloss, why don't you stand guard and I'll hunt around for some water," she said.

He raised an eyebrow, "Do you really think that's such a good idea?" he asked, glancing at her belly. Finnick couldn't blame him for that, if anything he should have been going to hunt. She was pregnant, she had life growing _inside of her_.

"You should be resting at every opportunity," agreed Kailani, her voice hoarse.

"Well, someone has to go," argued Katniss, "And I'm the best option."

"I'll go," said Gloss, "You stay."

"No, I want to go, I'll go _I'm fine_."

"Katniss-" started Peeta, but she cut him off.

"Don't worry, I won't go far," she promised.

"I'll go too," he said, already standing up.

But Katniss shook her head, "No, I'm going to do some hunting if I can." He stopped moving. "I won't be long."

She left no other room for argument, and before they could stop her she slipped in between the trees and disappeared. Peeta let out a long sigh, and planted himself down again. Finnick could not help but make some kind of comment. "What? Not a hunter?" he asked.

"I'm too loud," Peeta mumbled.

He laughed, he couldn't help himself. At the beginning of all of this, they had been teasing Katniss for her purity. But she wasn't the pure one, not really. All of that fell to Peeta, he was no killer, he could not even hunt. He was intelligent, good with words, but those were not necessarily the best attributes for the Hunger Games, especially not these ones. He was in an arena full of those who had already killed before and were prepared to do it again. Peeta was not made for this place. Nor would he ever be.

"It's alright," comforted Kailani, "We all have our talents." She shot him a long look and returned to her weaving. That was his warning to be nice.

Their hands moved, quick and efficient with the grass, creating large mats or so it appeared. They were pieces to a puzzle. Peeta watched them curiously, Finnick could see him out of the corner of his eye, but they knew what they were doing. They had done this before. In this kind of environment, where the ground was so damp and the air so humid, they needed shelter. That was what they were doing, they were building a shelter. Though even Finnick had to admit that it did not quite look like one yet.

The sound of the cannon, echoing through the arena, halted their hands.

"The Bloodbath must be over," said Cashmere. Her voice was thoughtful as she glanced into the woods. It must have been strange, hiding in the woods rather than taking out the other competitors. It was a strategy she had taken in her games, and her brother, and most of their district, even him, if he was being perfectly honest.

The Gamemakers never released the death toll of tributes until after the initial battle was over. For them, it was easier that way. The most kills always occurred at the beginning of the Games when everyone was in such close proximity to each other. No one would pay any attention to the cannon fire if they occurred when everyone was still fighting. So, they waited. Each shot represented one dead tribute. There were eight shots. Eight people were dead. Eight _friends_ were dead, two of them by their own hands. Finnick glanced over at Kailani, but she refused to meet his gaze. She stared determinedly down at the mat she was weaving. She knew the worst was yet to come. The faces of those who had lost their lives would appear in the sky later that night, and then they would know exactly who had been killed, and more importantly, who still remained. It was never a particularly pleasant experience, and he expected that it would only be worse this year.

Katniss did not return for quite a while. By time she stepped through the trees and into their camp though, they had completely transformed the place. The mats they had weaved were used to construct a hut. Gloss and Cashmere had helped him put it together. It was open on one side, but had walls, a floor and a roof. If it rained the weave was tight enough to keep out any water, or, in the case of the bowls that had been made, keep it in. Kailani had since crawled into their little hut to rest. Finnick sat at the front, his trident close by if he needed it, Cashmere sat quietly next to him as Gloss stood to the side, his eyes fixed on the woods as Peeta gathered all the nuts he had collected and put them into a bowl. They all turned to Katniss hopefully as she arrived.

She shook her head, "No. No water," she said, as disappointed as they were, "It's out there though. He knew where it was." Katniss hoisted up a skinned rodent for all of them to see. She may not have found water, but at least she had found them something more substantial to eat than nuts. "He'd been drinking recently when I shot him out of a tree, but I couldn't find his source. I swear, I covered every centimetre of ground in a thirty-metre radius."

That was not good. They _needed_ to find water. Peeta looked at the rodent his partner was holding. "Can we eat him?" he asked.

"I don't know for sure. But his meat doesn't look that different from a squirrel's. He ought to be cooked…" They could not risk a fire though. If the arena was as small as Katniss said it was, then a fire would only give away their position. As tempting as the meat was, they could not risk it. Peeta it seemed had another idea though. He took a cube of rodent meat, skewered it on the tip of a pointed stick and with confidence, let it fall into the force field. For a brief moment it sizzled, then the stick flew back. The chunk of meat was blackened on the outside but well-cooked on the inside. He and Katniss could not help but applaud his efforts. Kailani jerked awake, her hand immediately going for her spear, and they stopped what they were doing, remembering exactly where it was they were. They had to be more careful.

"Shh, it's alright." Finnick murmured, soothingly. Kailani's grip on her spear, loosened. "We just got a bit overexcited."

Her eyes lit up, "Water?" she croaked.

"Uh no, not quite," admitted Katniss, "We have some cooked meat though."

Kailani pushed herself into an upright position, "Well, it's better than nothing."

"Impressive, Mellark," said Gloss, chewing on the meat, heartily. "I think you're underestimated out here."

With the nuts and the meat, their first meal in the Games was a fairly good one. They all gathered in the hut as the sun began to sink behind the trees, and the sky turned to a rosy pink. The temperature dropped, but only slightly. It was still warm and if anything, it was even more humid, Finnick expected that that would not change at all during their time in arena. The point was to make them uncomfortable, and the Gamemakers were doing a very good job of that. He asked Katniss a lot of questions about the rodent she had shot, which they had decided to call a tree rat. How high in the tree it was, its surroundings, whether it was in a group or not, and most importantly, what it was doing. The tree rat obviously had access to water, he was trying to figure out how.

Unfortunately, Katniss wasn't very helpful, she remembered very little but he decided to give her a free pass. She was pregnant after all, it was only to be expected that her mind was a little muddled. With the sun gone, darkness fell over the arena, their only light coming from the pale white moon that hung in the sky. Their conversation trailed into nothing. It was almost time. They knew what was coming and they were not looking forward to it.

The six of them positioned themselves at the mouth of the hut. Katniss and Peeta had their hands linked as the sky brightened with the seal of the Capitol. Cashmere and Gloss were both stiff, their faces hard. The anthem filled the air, echoing to every corner of the arena and Finnick found himself holding his breath.

The man, the drunkard from District Five that he had killed, his face was projected into the sky first. They may not have known each other very well, but he knew that he had a son back home. His wife had died a few years back, that was why he had turned to the alcohol- surprisingly, it had had nothing to with his stint in the Games. His daughter-in-law had just given birth to a baby boy though. He had a grandson now, it could have been a new start for him.

Not anymore.

The man from District Five was followed by the male morphling from Six. The drugs had damaged him so much, but he was still a good person underneath all that. He and his partner were like children, it was as if the drugs had caused them to regress, but even they had their moments of clarity. They had agreed to join their alliance, so they must have seen the importance of it. His thoughts wandered to his partner, the female morphling. In all his time, Finnick had never seen them apart. Maybe there had been more to them than he had realised.

She would not have taken his death well.

Cecelia was next. Poor, dear Cecelia. A mother not only to her three children, but to all of them. She was always willing to give advice, he and Johanna often found themselves being scolded by her for their arguing, and she had absolutely adored Kailani. Finnick hoped more than anything else that her children had someone else to look after them.

They were so young.

Woof too, had been killed. If Finnick had to guess, he would say that he had gone down trying to protect Cecelia. He may have been old and on the verge of losing his mind, but he wasn't quite there yet. He would have wanted, more than anything, for Cecelia to make it back home to her children. They from the same district and the two had known each other a long time, he had mentored her, seen her grow up. He would always put his life before hers.

If only his efforts had not been in vain.

The female from Nine appeared. She was younger in age to him and Kailani. She had always been abrasive and rude, not in the defensive way like Johanna, but in the, she thought she was superior to everyone else kind of way. She had even gone so far as to slap Kailani once. There was no reason for it, maybe her attempts to be nice to her had just pissed her off, needless to say, Kailani had exploded. He had the feeling she thought that she wouldn't react, that she could push her around and nothing would happen, that she was too good and kind to retaliate. After all, she had done nothing to anyone else, she would not have dared attempt the same thing on Johanna. She was an idiot. She had _no idea_. Kailani was completely capable of snapping, of being angry and swearing up a storm, she just didn't reveal that side too often. She definitely did that day though. There was a kind of begrudging respect between the two after their scuffle. They would never have been friends, but they knew enough about each other to be considered acquaintances. For example, he knew she had two older sisters that had never volunteered for her when she was reaped.

He wondered if they regretted that now.

The male from District Nine, the one Kailani had killed was next up in the sky. As far as Finnick was aware, Neron had no wife or children, but he did run a grain farm for his elderly parents. His mother and father, and the entire district, would undoubtedly suffer for his death.

If they were lucky, maybe the Capitol would be effected as well.

The woman from District Ten had also been killed. She had a twin brother back home. He remembered watching their reunion after she had returned to her district victorious. He had been so relieved and so full of happiness. He would be devastated by the news that, this time, his sister would not be returning home alive.

In fact, he would probably never be the same again.

Seeder, from District Eleven, was the last tribute's face to be projected into the night sky. She was kinder than she sometimes appeared. She just wasn't so good with her words, sometimes she would say the wrong thing and in anger people would stop speaking with her. Finnick knew she never meant what she said, more often than not she had just got her words mixed up. Seeder had come from one of the poorer areas of her district, her vocabulary had not been the best, but she had learned a lot since her Games. She was someone who acted purely on her emotions, and that was what Finnick had always admired about her. She had a long-time partner back home, they had never married, they had never seen any reason too. He knew the two had started considering it though, they loved each other, they wanted to make it official.

They would never get the chance, now.

The Capitol seal appeared above them once more, a final piece of music played, and then the sky went dark, their only light coming from the moon again. No one said a word. There was nothing left to say. That was eight people they knew, dead. Family, friends and districts would mourn their losses, mourn the fact that never again would they brighten their lives, they would no longer be able to make a difference, they were gone. And more would most likely follow. Without a word, Kailani crawled back into the hut and dropped her head to the ground. No one else could find it within them to move. They might have sat there all might had a silver parachute not decided that exact moment to arrive. It glided down through the foliage to land before them. They stared at their gift, blankly.

"Whose is it, do you think?" asked Cashmere, finally.

Finnick shook his head, "No telling," he said, "But why don't we let Peeta claim it, since he died today?"

Peeta untied the cord and flattened out the circle of silk. On the parachute sat a small metal object that no one at all recognised. Finnick had never seen anything like it before. "What is it?" questioned Katniss. Unfortunately, none of them, had an answer.

They each, well, except for Kailani, took a turn examining the item, but still, no answer came to them. It was a hollow metal tube, on one end it was slightly tapered and on the other, it had a small lip the curved downwards. Peeta tried to blow on one end to see if it made some kind of sound, but it was silent. Gloss attempted to use it as a weapon, but that was useless as well.

"Do you think you could fish with it, Kailani?" asked Katniss, turning around to look at her. Only then, did she notice that Kailani had fallen asleep. "Oh."

"No, you cannot fish with it," answered Finnick. And what use would it be if that were its purpose? He and Kailani could fish with their bare hands if they had too, sending them something like that would be pointless. No, it had to have some other kind of job.

Annoyed, Katniss jammed one end of the device into the dirt, "I give up. Maybe if we hook up with Beetee or Wiress they can figure it out," she said, stretching out on the mat. Her eyes bore holes into the device. Maybe she thought if she stared at it long enough the answer would jump out at her. Peeta began to rub her shoulders and Finnick resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He crawled quietly over to Kailani and placed the back of his hand to her forehead. Well, she wasn't burning up or anything which was one small blessing. But he knew she wasn't well. Seeing the faces of those who had died, had completely drained her. She had been doing well until then, but after it was as if she had started to shut down, as if she were too tired to keep going. The fact that she hadn't even stirred as he sat by her sent his alarm bells ringing. Kailani was always alert, even when she slept. That was how she had survived her Games alone. She prided herself on it. Softly, as if afraid she would break, he brushed some stray strands of her hair aside. Still, her eyes did not open, she did not even stir. That twinge of fear ran through him, again.

"I don't understand," said Cashmere, her voice nothing but a whisper. He jumped slightly, glancing over his should to look at her. She sat there, calmly watching him as if he were some kind of fascinating experiment. He glanced at Gloss, but his face was unreadable.

"Understand what?" questioned Finnick.

"You, _her_." She frowned, confused. "I don't understand."

Finnick shrugged, what could he say? "She's my best friend."

Gloss scoffed, and Cashmere looked at him, disapprovingly. "A spile!" exclaimed Katniss, suddenly, bolting upright. They turned to look at her.

"What?" asked Finnick.

She pulled the thing from the ground and brushed it clean. "It's a spile. Sort of like a tap. You put it in a tree and sap comes out." Katniss looked around at the trees surrounding them, a slight frown on her face, "Well, the right sort of tree."

"Sap?"

"To make syrup," added Peeta, "But there must be something else inside these trees."

Finnick's eyes widen, and at once, the five of them were on their feet. Water. There had to be water in those trees. Without hesitating, Finnick snatched the spile from Katniss' grip and moved to hammer it into a tree. But Cashmere stopped him before he could. "Wait!" she called out, "You might damage it, we need to drill a hole first."

Gloss pulled out a knife and set to work. As soon as he had opened up a hole large enough to hold the spile, Katniss wedged it in carefully and they all stood back in anticipation. At first, nothing happened. Then, a drop of water rolled down the lip and fell to the ground. They wiggled and adjusted the spile until finally, they got a thin stream to run out. Katniss, Peeta, Cashmere and Gloss took turns holding their mouths under the stream, wetting their parched tongues. Finnick grabbed a basket and waited for it to fill before taking a sip for himself. Only a sip though, Kailani was the bigger priority. He could feel the others watching him as he ducked into the hut, but he didn't care. Gently, he tried to shake Kailani awake.

It took him more than one attempt, but eventually, to his obvious relief, Finnick managed to rouse her. He helped Kailani into an upright position, and held the bowl out to her. "Drink," he murmured.

Katniss and Peeta exchanged looks but said nothing as they filled another bowl. The water made all the difference to Kailani, as they shared around the bowls, taking long luxurious sips, she just continued to become more alive. With all the water, they even had enough to splash their faces clean. But with the threat of dehydration no longer looming over them, there was nothing left to distract them from their exhaustion. Having had the most rest and feeling better than she had all day, Kailani offered to take the first watch. Finnick would have none of it though. He ordered her to go to sleep, it was only Peeta and his soothing words that prevented the situation from escalating to a complete argument between the two. Kailani was not happy about it, not happy about being so easily dismissed, and not happy about Finnick putting his feelings before logic. But she moved into the hut as requested, and drifted off to sleep nonetheless. Finnick then offered himself to take the first watch. Katniss accepted, and Gloss and Cashmere shrugged, they weren't going to complain about the chance to sleep. Tiredly, she lay herself down next to Peeta on the floor of the hut and told Finnick to wake her when he felt tired. Instead, she found herself jarred from sleep at the sound of tolling bells, just a few hours later. Peeta and Cashmere slept through it, but Finnick had the same look of attentiveness about him that she did, Kailani and Gloss also had their eyes open. The tolling stopped.

"I counted twelve," said Gloss.

"Mean anything do you think?"

Finnick shrugged, "No idea."

In the distance, a dazzling bolt of lightning struck a tall tree, and then, a lightning storm began.

"It means something," said Kailani, finally, "Everything in these Games always do." Her eyes looked out at the lightning for a moment, her face thoughtful. And then she shifted, getting herself comfortable again before she went back to sleep.

Katniss sighed. She did not like the sound of that at all. She glanced at Finnick, the exhaustion rolled off of him in waves. Gloss seemed to have the same idea. He sat up, stretching his muscles. "Go to sleep, Odair," he said, "I'm on watch." His tone left no room for argument.

Finnick hesitated for a moment, but even he knew that could not stay awake forever. Almost unwillingly, he settled at the mouth of the hut, one hand gripping his trident as he fell into an uneasy sleep. Katniss however, did not join him. She couldn't sleep now, her mind was too alive. She pushed herself up and Gloss raised an eyebrow, she just shrugged. "Can't sleep."

"You should rest when you can," he said, wisely. He was probably right, but it was too late now.

She sat with her bow loaded as they stared out into the jungle, the trees ghostly pale and green in the moonlight. They didn't talk, there wasn't all that much for them to say. After about an hour, the lightning stopped and Katniss could hear the rain coming in. Except, it never reached them. It stayed just a few hundred metres away, refusing to come any closer. The sound of the cannon startled her and again, Kailani's eyes snapped open. Someone else in the arena had died. Finnick and Peeta remained blissfully unaware though. None of them thought it necessary to wake them.

"The Gamemakers must be getting impatient," whispered Kailani, propping herself up, "It has been quiet since the Bloodbath."

Katniss did not even think of that. She had been so concerned with finding water and the force field that she had completely forgotten about all the other traps the Gamemakers could have laid.

The elusive rain shut off suddenly, plunging the jungle into an eerie silence. Almost immediately, Katniss could see the fog sliding softly from the direction the rain had been. Kailani was next to her now, crouched down and the spear in her hand as the fog continued to approach at a steady pace. Gloss frowned, deeply. Tendrils reached forward and curled like fingers. Katniss could feel the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise and Kailani realised it at the same time she did. That there was something wrong about that fog, something unnatural, and if it was not natural, then that could mean only one thing. Someone had made it.

A sickeningly sweet odour invaded their nostrils as she, Kailani and Gloss reached for the others, shouting at them to wake up.

In the few seconds that it took to rouse them, Katniss could feel herself beginning to blister.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8:**

Her skin burned. Wherever droplets of mist touched skin, tiny, searing scabs sprung up.

"Run!" screamed Katniss, "Run!"

Finnick snapped awake in an instant, rising to counter an enemy. Instead, he saw the wall of fog creeping towards them. His eyes sought her out, but Kailani was elsewhere, she was not the priority. He should have known that. She was helping Katniss haul a disorientated Peeta to his feet as Gloss shook his sister awake, a look of urgency upon his face.

"What is it? What is it?" he asked, his tone one of bewilderment.

"Some kind of fog," explained Katniss, quickly, "Poisonous gas. Hurry, Peeta!"

Kailani shoved them, trying to get them moving, "It doesn't matter, just go, run!" She glanced back at the fog. It had extended in a straight line in either direction, rising high above them with tendrils that continued to reach out to them. Finnick grabbed her arm and began pulling her along, making sure _she_ moved faster. He pulled her past a stumbling Peeta, and Katniss by his side, trying to help him. His grip was so tight on her arm that had they been in any other situation she would have winced, but she had much bigger concerns to worry herself with. They tried not to run too fast, to lose sight of their charges. But it was hard. The force field had done more of a number on Peeta than they had originally thought and he was much slower than he should have been, constantly tripping on the tangle of vines and undergrowth beneath his feet. There was no time for him to rest though, the mist lapped at their heels, threateningly. Droplets from the body of vapour sprung free, burning, searing their flesh. It was a strange pain, it was not like the pain one had when getting too close to a fire, it was different. There was less a heat and more an intensity as chemicals found their skin and burrowed their way down through the layers. The jumpsuits they wore were no help at all, they were so thin they gave no protection against the wall of gas that approached them. Again, Kailani looked back at Katniss and Peeta. Cashmere and Gloss didn't have to worry about them, they didn't know the plan, not beyond what they had already guessed, but they did.

"Finnick-" she started.

"I know!" he yelled, frustrated.

They were already a few metres ahead of the fog, had they chosen, they probably could have put even more distance between it and them. But that would have meant leaving Katniss and Peeta behind, and they couldn't do that. It was out of the question. They slowed their pace slightly, yelling words of encouragement to try and help the pair along. Gloss and Cashmere did the same, they too ahead of the younger two. There was not much else they could do though. Their enemy was a large wall of fog, they could not fight it, only run from it.

Peeta's leg became caught on a knot of creepers and he sprawled forwards, hitting the ground hard. Kailani pulled her arm from Finnick's grip and bounded back to help Katniss pull Peeta to his feet. That was when she saw his face. The left side had sagged, as if every muscle in it had died. The lid drooped, almost completely concealing his eye, and his mouth had twisted into an odd angle.

"Peeta-" began Katniss, noticing it as well. But then, her arms began to twitch.

Kailani frowned. The chemicals laced into the fog clearly did a lot more than just burn, it targeted the nerves, affected your muscles. It was made especially to incapacitate you, and if it caught up she hated to think what else would happen. She and Katniss yanked Peeta forward, but that only made him stumble again. Kailani could feel her back twinge, but she ignored it, and urged Peeta on. Something was wrong with his legs though. He tried to walk, but they refused to cooperate with him. They moved almost in a puppet-like fashion, all of their own accord. The fog had moved in on them, and now, the body of it was less than a metre away. They needed to move, Kailani did not want to find out what happened to them in that fog. She doubted there would be much of them left to recover if they did get caught. Cashmere yelled at them to hurry up, as Peeta lurched forward and Kailani looked to Finnick in relief as he began hauling Peeta along. They moved quickly, and Katniss did her best to keep up. The six of them managed to put more distance between them and the fog, but it got to a point where they were practically dragging Peeta along.

"It's no use," said Finnick, "I'll have to carry him."

Peeta did not even protest, he knew there was no other choice. Silently, Gloss helped Finnick get Peeta onto his back as quickly as possible, and then they were moving again. Kailani clenched her jaw as her own back spasmed painfully. It was getting worse, and to add to it, a tingling had started up her arm.

The fog continued its steady advance, it made no noise as it moved forwards. It was silent, but deadly. They did their best to keep out of reach of its grasping tendrils, running as fast as their tired legs would take them. Finnick lead them at a diagonal angle away from the fog. She could see what he was doing, he was trying to get them back to the beach, to the water. Katniss tripped and crashed to the ground. She managed to push herself up again but then, it was as if her leg had given out on her and she went down once more. Eyes determined, Cashmere moved back to help her up, to keep her moving and Kailani helped her. She could not let Katniss be left behind. As soon as she bent down to help her up though, her back spasmed violently and a burning pain ran through her entire body. She moaned and sank to her knees. Every part of her was shaking and all she could feel was the pain running through her veins.

"Kailani!" yelled Finnick.

His voice broke through her pain-induced daze, and with a deep breath, she got to her feet, pulling Katniss with her. "Come on," she muttered, giving her a light push, "We gotta keep going."

Time and space seemed to lose all meaning as they staggered along. It was as if the fog was invading their minds as much as their bodies. Then again, maybe it was. Kailani could feel her thoughts becoming muddled, her mind confused, she could barely make sense of anything anymore. All she knew was that they had to keep moving. She could faintly see Finnick ahead of them, loping through the foliage, his blonde hair shining in the moonlight. She could see the beach now, they were so close. And then Finnick was falling. He collapsed to the ground, Peeta still on top of him. Gloss collapsed next to him, and Kailani, Cashmere and Katniss could do nothing to stop themselves from falling over the top of them.

There they lay, the six of them, writhing in pain, barely able to move let along escape the fog. They were going to die. They were going to die and there would be nothing that they could do about it. Finnick groaned and managed to drag himself off of the others, and Kailani met his sea-green eyes. Probably for the last time. A small part of her wanted to tell him _everything_. But even if she had been able to talk, even if she had had enough time to explain, she knew she would have kept quiet. They were about to die, even if it meant to her very last breath that she would have to lie, at least Finnick would be able to go blissfully unaware. That did not stop the guilt though. No, it refused to give her even a moment's peace. It was almost as painful as the chemicals that had chewed at her skin. Kailani just could not win. She wanted Finnick to be happy but at the same time she wanted him to know the truth. It was an impossible situation.

At least she knew it would be over soon.

"Look," croaked Katniss, her eyes on the fog, "It's stopped."

Kailani followed her gaze, and she was right, it had stopped. The fog had become thicker, as if it had hit a pane of glass and could move no further. No longer did the tendrils reach out towards them. The entire mass had frozen. All four of them stared at it, and then, it began to rise upwards, as if being slowly vacuumed into the sky. The fog was sucked away until not even a wisp remained. Apparently, they were not going to die on this day. She gasped in pain. Well, maybe they just wouldn't die straight away. None of them were in good condition. They twitched and writhed as the poison invaded their minds and bodies. A few minutes passed by, and vaguely, Peeta gestured to the trees above them, "Mon-hees," he said.

On a branch, two monkeys sat perched, their eyes fixed upon their prone forms. They were about half the size of a full-grown human, with orange fur and large, watching eyes. Kailani did not like the look of them at all. They were only observing for the time being, but there was something about them. Maybe it was their claws, or the glint of their teeth, but Kailani felt that there was something vicious about them. They made her feel uncomfortable. Cashmere gasped in pain and clenched her eyes closed.

Peeta struggled to his knees and with every ounce of strength he had left, crawled down the slope and the last fifty or so metres to the beach. Katniss, Kailani, Gloss, Cashmere and Finnick found themselves following. They crawled and dragged themselves through leaves and vines, across sand, until finally, they reached the warm water that surrounded the Cornucopia. Despite herself, Kailani let out a breath of relief. She may have almost drowned in it earlier, but there was nothing more calming to her than the sea. Her fingers reached out, brushing the water for just a moment. Immediately, it burned her, searing and hot, she jerked her hand back. The pain was even worse than the fog vapour hitting her skin and burrowing through. There was another feeling to it though, not of something going in, but of something coming out. Gingerly, she put her hand in the water again. Kailani ignored the torturous pain and watched as a milky substance seeped out of the wounds in her skin. The salt water was drawing out the poisonous chemicals that had been in the fog. She looked over to see Katniss, Peeta and Gloss slowly soaking themselves in water, limb by limb in order to lessen the pain they endured. Cashmere watched them reluctant, but soon her brother coaxed her to do the same. They were pulling the band aid off slowly, so to speak. Kailani glanced over to Finnick, then. He had backed away from the water at first touch now lay face down in the sand, either unwilling or unable to purge himself of the poison. But he needed to get it out of him more than any of them. She could see it all the way from where she was, he could barely even move anymore. Kailani braced herself, she knew what she needed to do. She just wasn't particularly looking forward to doing it. With one swift movement she slipped her entire body into the water. The pain that hit her was blinding. It filled her every sense, occupied her every cell. All there was, was a burning, hot pain. For that moment, that was all she knew, all that she could comprehend. She was underwater, but she did not hold back her scream, she couldn't have even if she wanted too. Water flooded her mouth, cleansing inside as much as out, and worsening her pain. Clouds of white danced before her eyes and then floated away into nothing. The pain began to subside and Kailani pushed herself to the surface. Her entire body was shaking uncontrollably and her back was still spasming, but she knew that the poison, for the most part, had left her system. Sucking in as much air as she could as she moved, Kailani stumbled back through the water towards Finnick. He had not moved a single centimetre. She fell to her knees next to him.

"Finnick?" she said, softly. His fingers twitched, but other than that, he did not answer. Kailani would take what she could though, it was better than nothing at all. Her eyes ran over him. As she had suspected the poison had affected him the worst. Kailani had no idea why, nor did she really care. The fact of the matter was that it had. And now she had to get it out of him as soon as possible. Kailani didn't think he would go so well with her dragging him into the sea though, he had already recoiled from the water at first touch. No, she had to be more careful with Finnick.

"Sweetie, I have to get the poison out of you, but it's going to hurt, okay?" she warned. There was no response, but then again, she hadn't expected there to be. With cupped hands she carried water from the sea to Finnick, carefully soaking his wounds. She started with his fists, as soon as the water hit his skin, wisps of fog leeched out into the air. Since he wasn't under the water as she had been, the poison left his body the same way it went in, through the fog. She tried to be as gentle as possible, but there was only so much she could do. Gloss kneeled next to her, and with just one look began to help her. Katniss joined them soon enough, and then Peeta, and then Cashmere who had found them four shells much more effective in carrying water than their hands. They moved from his fists to his arms, the most damaged part of them all. Plumes of fog poured out from his arms, but Finnick barely noticed. His eyes stayed shut and the only sign of life that came from him was the occasional moan. Kailani knew her face was worried, or maybe it was even panicked, it was definitely something along that kind of line. She could see it in the side-long glances Katniss and Gloss gave her, in the understanding looks she received from Peeta and the eye roll from Cashmere. It was pathetic, _she_ was pathetic. She would have liked, more than anything, to have put it down to the poison. Blame it and blame the Capitol for messing with her mind and her emotions, there was really no point though. Everyone already knew better, whether it was as friends or something more, they knew she loved him. She had never been any good at hiding her emotions, not if it had to do with Finnick, anyway. It was ironic really, considering how often she lied to him, how often she lied to everyone. That was different though, she did not hide how she really felt, just disguised it, and this was a matter of life and death, it changed everything. As far as she was concerned, she was allowed to be emotional. She wished sometimes that she could shut it all off, hide all her emotions away. She had done it before, at her most vulnerable, and it was awful. It was safe, but empty. Cold and dark, she only did it then, so that she could survive. Her guilt and self-loathing would have destroyed her during and after her Hunger Games had she not done it. Kailani had put up a convincing enough act in front of Finnick though, she didn't want him to worry too much, she always showed emotion, that was who she was, if it did not show on her face it showed in her eyes and he could read her like a book, he was the one who brought that emotion out of her more than anyone else. He made her laugh, he made her cry, that was why she had avoided him so much after her victory, she couldn't afford to let him break her down, make her feel again, not while she was still in the Capitol and especially not when she was still so very broken. It had never been in her nature though, locking it all away, it never felt right. She just- she wished she could hide a _bit_ of it away. Just a tiny, little bit in situations like this so the others would stop giving her _those_ looks. They had spent too much time with them, seen too much. Gloss and Cashmere had probably suspected as much for years, but Katniss and Peeta barely even knew them yet they knew her feelings of friendship ran deeper than just friendship. Kailani didn't like that, not at all.

She glared at them, "We've got to get more of him into the water," she ground out, quietly. They had a job to do and that was what they were supposed to be focusing on.

"We can't put him in face first," said Cashmere.

"Then let's turn him around." She and Peeta each grabbed one of his feet and turned him one hundred and eighty degrees so that his feet were closest to the water. Bit by bit they pulled Finnick further into the salt water. It was a slow process. His feet went first, once the swirls of white disappeared they would pull him in further, his ankles, halfway up his calf, and so on. The longer they sat in the water, the more it seemed to help all of them. Kailani could feel her mind starting to become clearer, any rash thoughts of confessions being pushed to the back where they belonged, and the spasms in her back lessened to just a few twitches every now and again. The salt water was truly doing wonders. With every minute that passed, Katniss was becoming more alert, Cashmere more relaxed, Gloss more himself and Peeta, his face had already begun to untwist and return to normal. Finnick's eyes fluttered open. They darted around for a moment, confused and disorientated, and then they focussed on the five of them, helping him. Kailani smiled, "See," she scolded, lightly, "I told you to let me take first watch, you would not be so ridiculously tired otherwise, and waking you up again would have been much easier." Finnick let out a choked sound that might have been a laugh. Kailani shook her head, "Shh, no talking from you, not yet,"

Slowly, they dragged the rest of him into the water until he was covered all the way up to his neck and his head lay in Cashmere's lap. The poison leaked out from his flesh and disappeared amongst the blue. They let him soak for almost ten minutes before he lifted his arms above the seawater experimentally, flexing his fingers, testing his limbs. They exchanged smiles, Kailani's brightest of them all. He was recovering.

"There's just your head left, Finnick," said Peeta, "That's the worst part, but you'll feel much better after, if you can bear it."

Kailani took his hand and with Cashmere and Peeta's help, pulled Finnick upright. He purged his eyes, nose and mouth, though for the time being his throat was still too raw to speak. However, she expected that wouldn't last much longer.

"I'm going to go and try tap a tree," said Katniss, tugging at the spile that, thankfully, she had thought to attach to her belt.

"Let me make the hole first," said Peeta, getting to his feet, "You stay with him. You're the healer."

Katniss gave Peeta a long look, and he grinned in reply. _Healer_ was probably not the word Katniss would use to describe herself. "Do you want me to drill the hole, Mellark?" asked Gloss, almost hopefully. He did not enjoy just sitting around but Peeta shook his head.

"It's okay, I got it."

Gloss frowned, but didn't complain. Slowly, Kailani began to coax Finnick further and further into the water. His muscles were still recovering, but gradually he started to swim. It did not take long after that for him to begin diving about like they were at home again, like he belonged in the water. She could see Katniss staring again, her hands mid-braid as she watched the smooth movements of Finnick sliding through the water effortlessly. She supposed for someone from District Twelve, his swimming was rather enchanting. Kailani let out a breath, and like Katniss had, released her hair from its braid. It spread out behind her as she lay back on the water and floated there, one hand ensuring she was not swept away too far, the other, her injured one, resting comfortably on her stomach. Her eyes closed and she could feel her muscles as they began to unwind and relax. Katniss yelped, and Kailani opened an eye to see an amused Finnick standing next to her. Apparently, someone was up to causing trouble again.

"Don't do that," glared Katniss, as Kailani swam up next to them.

"What?" asked Finnick, innocently, "Come up or stay under?"

"Either. Neither. Whatever. Just soak in the water and behave. Or if you feel this good, let's go help Peeta."

Kailani realised too late the mistake she had made by letting her hair out. It was such an effort to braid it again with only one completely functional hand, not to mention that she was also attempting to juggle her spear as the padded across the sane to the jungle. No, she had definitely not thought it through at all. She was concentrating so hard on her task that she didn't even notice when the others stopped in their tracks. Finnick grabbed her by the elbow, forcing her to stop, and she looked back at him questioningly. He glanced upwards, and that was when she saw them. Suddenly, her hair was the least of her problems. The monkeys they had seen earlier had all convened. Not just a few, but dozens of them weighing down the limbs of trees, their eyes following their every move. And Peeta still stood drilling a hole into a tree, completely unaware. Kailani tightened the grip she had on her spear, as Katniss armed her bow, with two arrows, Cashmere and Gloss pulled out their knives and Finnick adjusted his trident.

"Peeta," said Katniss, as calmly as possible, "I need your help with something."

"Okay, just a minute. I think I've just about got this," he said, his attention focussed on the tree, "Yes, there. Have you got the spile?"

"I do. But we've found something you'd better take a look at," she continued, her tone measured, "Only move towards us quietly, so you don't startle it."

Peeta turned to them. He was still panting from his work, but it was clear that he sensed the urgency, sensed that something was wrong. "Okay," he said, casually.

Kailani could see now why Katniss wouldn't take him hunting with her, quietness was not his strong suit. He was trying his best though, and most importantly, the monkeys were staying exactly where they were. He was just five metres from the beach when he must have felt something in the air. His eyes only darted up for a second, but that was enough, it was as if he had triggered a bomb. The monkeys exploded into a shrieking mass of orange fur, and at once, they all converged on Peeta. They moved so quickly, they were almost blurs as they slid down vines and leaped across branched. Their fangs were bared, hackles raised and their claws shot out like switchblades. They were vicious, too vicious.

"Mutts," spat out Katniss, as the five of them crashed into the greenery.

Kailani swung her spear and the blade cut across one of the beast's throat, before she spun around and did the same with the other end. She was glad she had never encountered these mutts alone, the ones that hunted in packs were always the most difficult, and there were just so many of these ones. They came at them in an almost never ending stream. She kept the monkeys at as much of a distance as she could, but every now and again, one would break through her line of defence. An arrow from Katniss prevented it from doing too much damage though. The girl was shooting as quickly as she could, always hitting her target, whether it was the heart or the throat, it didn't matter, because she hit it. Meanwhile, Finnick was spearing the monkeys like they were fish and flinging their dead corpses aside, as Peeta slashed at the beasts with his knives and Cashmere and Gloss danced through the mutts like they were still in the training rooms. The air around them became heavy with the overwhelming scent of monkey and blood. The six of them positioned themselves into a circle, protecting one another's backs. It forced Kailani to change her technique slightly, she had learned to be able to protect _herself_. Sure, she and Finnick had spent enough time together to perfect their teamwork, they could move in perfect synchronisation, but the addition of the others as well made that difficult. That was what the double-ended spear had always been for, so that she could attack and defend herself at every angle. That was alright though, it was an easy enough adjustment.

"Peeta!" yelled Katniss, "Your arrows!"

Kailani could only spare a single glance before she was bombarded again, but she saw the problem immediately. Katniss had run out of arrows, and Peeta held her other sheath. Kailani narrowly avoided a pair of sharp claws from scratching her eyes out, and with one swift movement, the monkey had a spear through its brain. A high-pitched scream filled the area, and suddenly, the female morphling from District Six had appeared, her eyes wide as she threw herself in front of Peeta. The monkey aiming for him, found her, and they could do nothing but watch as the monkey sunk it's fangs into her chest. The sound she made was one none of them would ever forget.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9:**

Peeta dropped the sheath and buried his knife into the back of the monkey, stabbing it again and again until it released its jaw. With more brutality than Katniss was used to from him, he kicked the mutt away and braced himself for more. Quickly, she grabbed her sheath from the ground and loaded an arrow into her bow. Finnick was at her back, breathing heavily but not actively engaged. Cashmere had moved closer to Peeta, her knives dripping with monkey blood as Gloss and Kailani stood side by side, their eyes wary. None of them were attacking though, the monkeys had all stopped. They were withdrawing now, backing up into the trees, fading into the jungle as if some unheard voice had called them away. A Gamemakers voice, telling them that that was enough, that their job was done for the time being.

"Get her," Katniss said to Peeta, her eyes flickering to the morphling at his feet, "We'll cover you."

Gently, Peeta lifted the injured woman into his arms and carried her, the last few metres to the beach, while she, Gloss and Finnick kept their weapons at the ready. Except for the orange carcasses on the ground though, there were no monkeys to defend against, they were all gone. Kailani had all but abandoned her spear and was fussing over the morphling, smiling and whispering comforts to the woman as Peeta laid her down in the sand, her head resting in Kailani's lap. Katniss watched as she did all that she could to keep the morphling from looking down at her own bloodied chest, to make her as content as possible considering what was about to happen. Katniss had no idea how she did it, how she could voluntarily sit there with a smile on her face, her hands stroking her hair, when she knew that this was a woman who was about to die. Sure, she had sat with Rue, she had sung to Rue, but she had not stayed nearly as collected as Kailani. She seemed unbreakable as she sat there, and still, so warm and caring. The strength she had went further than Katniss could ever have imagined. There was nothing they could do for the morphling, Kailani and Peeta had both realised this. The front of her outfit was torn to shreds, blood trickled from the four, large scratch marks that adorned her skin and even worse was undoubtedly the damage that they could not see. Katniss was certain that the beast had ruptured something vital, a lung, maybe even her heart. She kneeled down next to them, and the woman took a hold of her hand.

"I'll watch the trees," said Gloss, before without another word, he walked away. Cashmere and Finnick exchanged looks, but didn't go with him. Katniss though wished that she could have, wished that she could have escaped the inevitable death before her. The morphling was going to die, she would have preferred not having to witness that. Her twitching hand had such a tight hold on her though, that to leave she would have had to pry her fingers away, and Katniss didn't have the strength for that kind of cruelty. The least she could do for the woman who saved Peeta's life, was stay by her side. Kailani whispered something to her, and Peeta gave a small smile at her words as the morphling seemed to brighten in excitement. Her head turned to Peeta attentively.

"With my paint back at home," he began, softly, "I can make every colour imaginable. Pink. As pale as a baby's skin, or as deep as rhubarb. Green, like spring grass. Blue that shimmers like ice on water."

At first, Katniss thought the words were nonsensical, that what he said was being affected by his grief and all he was doing was rambling, but his story was never meant for her, it was meant for the morphling, and she was enjoying every bit of it. She stared into his eyes, hanging on his every word.

"One time, I spent three days mixing paint until I found the right shade for sunlight on white fur. You see, I kept thinking it was yellow, but it was much more than that. Layers of all sorts of colour. One by one."

The morphling's breathing began to slow, and with her free hand, she dabbled in the blood from her chest, making the tiny swirling motions she so loved to paint with.

"I haven't figured out a rainbow yet. They come so quickly and leave so soon, I never have enough time to capture them. Just a bit of blue here or purple there, and then they fade away again, back into the air."

The morphling seemed mesmerised by Peeta's words. She was completely entranced. She lifted up a trembling hand and painted what Katniss thought might have been a flower onto Peeta's cheek.

"Thank you," he whispered, quietly, "That looks beautiful."

For a moment, the morphling's face lit up in a grin and she made a small, squeaking sound. Then, her blood-dappled hand fell back to her chest, she gave one last huff of air, and with that, the cannon fired. The tight grip on Katniss' hand released. She glanced up and Cashmere met her gaze, silently. Her face was unreadable but even the Career had a sombre look in her eyes. With a soft touch, Kailani slid the morphling's eyes closed and without a word, Peeta picked her up and carried her to the water. He returned and sat on the sand next to them, as Finnick kneeled down and rested his head on Kailani's shoulder. Cashmere hovered behind them all, and silently they watched as her body floated out towards the Cornucopia for a while. The hovercraft appeared, and a four-pronged claw dropped down, encased her body and carried her into the night sky. Just like that, she was gone.

Kailani placed a hand on Peeta's shoulder, comfortingly. "Don't looks so guilty, there was nothing you could have done." Her voice was gentle, and soothing.

"If I had been paying more attention-" started Peeta.

Cashmere shook her head. "Don't do that to yourself," she said, sharply. Peeta looked up at her. "We all know what being in these Games mean, even that lot. She died protecting you, Mellark, don't waste that."

He sighed, deeply, but didn't say anything more on the matter. Gloss stalked back onto the beach, his fist full of Katniss' arrows. He dropped them beside her on the sand. "Thought you might want these," he said.

"Thanks," she said. Katniss waded into the water, and with her arrows in hand, washed all the gore and blood from her weapons, and her wounds. By the time she returned to the jungle to gather some of the moss Kailani had been using to wrap her hand in order to dry everything, all the monkeys' bodies had vanished. Katniss frowned, "Where did they all go?" she asked.

"We don't know," said Gloss, "The vines shifted and they were gone."

They stared at the jungle, numb and exhausted. In the quiet, she noticed that where the fog droplets had touched her skin, the surface had become red and raw. They had stopped hurting now, but instead they had started to itch. She glanced over at the other, and all five of them were scratching, or at least trying not to. Cashmere slapped her brother's hand, and glared at him, but Gloss just couldn't help himself, none of them could.

"Don't scratch," said Katniss, "You'll only bring infection." That was what her mother would say. "Think it's safe to try for the water again?"

They made their way back to the tree Peeta had been tapping. She, Finnick and Cashmere stood with their weapons poised, as Kailani leaned against a tree, almost bored. Clearly she didn't expect any monkeys too return, and she was right, none did. Gloss finished drilling a hole with his knife and Peeta worked the spile in. He found a good vein, and the water began to gush from the spile. The six of them slaked their thirst and let the warm water pour over their itching bodies. They filled a handful of shells with drinking water and went back to the beach.

It was still night as they stared out at the water, though surely dawn was not too far away, it must have only been a few hours. "Get some rest," said Cashmere, eyeing her carefully. Maybe she looked tired. "I'll take watch."

"No, it's alright, I can do it," said Kailani. Cashmere raised an eyebrow, and Finnick stared at her as if he wanted to argue, but one glare from her and he backed down, immediately. He knew he had no argument this time, they were all equally as tired and worn down. If Kailani wanted to be on lookout, who were they to argue with her. Someone had to do it, it may as well have been her.

Katniss shrugged. "If you're sure, then all right, thanks Kailani."

She gave a nod of her head and settled down at the edge of the jungle, strips of moss in her hand as she prepared to clean her spear.

It was mid-morning when Katniss opened her eyes again. Peeta was still asleep beside her, however everyone else, was already awake though apparently, no one had been busier than the two from District Four. Above her, a mat of grass was suspended on branches and shielded their faces from the sunlight. Two woven bowls were filled with fresh water, and a third held a mess of shellfish. Finnick and Kailani sat on the sand, cracking them open with a stone. "They're better fresh," said Finnick, ripping a chunk of flesh from a shell and popping it into his mouth as Gloss pulled his out with a knife. He leaned casually against the trees, but every not and again his eyes would glance into the jungle, always wary, always checking.

"Here," said Cashmere, handing her a shellfish. It was still weird, her and her brother being so nice, so helpful, it didn't seem to fit in with the personalities she had painted them with. They hadn't tried to kill any of them yet, they actually genuinely had been working with them. They had been so cool and distant during training. All that was forgotten though, when her stomach growled. She certainly wasn't going to complain about them being nice _now_. That was when she noticed her fingernails though, they were caked in blood. Without knowing it, she had been scratching her skin raw in her sleep.

Gloss smirked at her. "You know, if you scratch you'll bring on infection." Katniss felt her mouth twitch upwards.

"That's what I've heard," she said, dryly. She moved across the sand to the water, washed the blood from her hands, and splashed her face. At this point, she couldn't decide what was worse, the pain or the itching. Fed up, she stomped back on to the beach and glared up at the sky. "Hey, Haymitch!" she snapped, "If you're not too drunk, we could use a little something for our skin."

It was almost comical at how quickly a parachute appeared. Wrapped in cloth, a tube of ointment and roll of bandages landed squarely in her palm. "About time," she muttered.

Katniss plunked down on the sand next to Finnick, "Here," she said, throwing the bandages to Kailani. "I think those are meant for you."

She caught them with her good hand and beamed, "Thank you very much." Kailani pulled the moss off and tossed it aside, unravelling the roll of pristine white bandages. Finnick didn't even give her the time to attempt to wrap her hand herself. He took the bandages from her, and Gloss rolled his eyes.

Wordlessly, Katniss unscrewed the lid from the tube. Inside, was a thick, dark paste with a pungent smell, which made her nose wrinkle. It was a strange combination of tar and pine needles. Nonetheless, she squeezed a glob of the medicine into her hand and began to massage it into her skin. The relief was immediate. Her skin felt cooler and the urge to itch had completely disappeared. A sound of pleasure slipped out of her mouth, and she tossed the tube to Cashmere. She eyed it with disdain.

"I am not putting this on," she said, shaking her head. "It smells disgusting."

Katniss raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather scratch all the skin from your face?"

Cashmere relented at that, her mouth twisted as she unwillingly rubbed the substance onto her face. Finnick watched her, doubtfully. "You smell like you're decomposing," he said.

She scowled at him. "Shut up, Odair," she said, snatching the tube from her brother and throwing it at him.

Kailani nudged him, "Be nice." She squeezed a generous amount of the ointment into her hand and began massaging it into her sore skin. "Besides, it does help."

With a supreme look of discomfort on his face, Finnick treated his skin. Katniss grinned at him, widely. "Poor Finnick," she mocked, lightly, "Is this the first time in your life you haven't looked pretty?" The smell was hardly attractive, nor were the smears of ointment across his face.

"It must be. The sensation's completely new," he said, "How have you managed it all these years?"

"Just avoid mirrors, you'll forget about it."

"Not if I keep looking at you, or Gloss for that matter." Immediately, Gloss scowled at him and Kailani shifted uncomfortably.

"_Finnick_," she said, warningly.

He smiled, and rolled his eyes. "Oh, he knows I'm kidding, right buddy?"

The look on both of their faces said otherwise, and Katniss was very aware of the tension in the air. Nonetheless, Gloss nodded. "I do. I also know a lot of other things that would make Kailani blush."

Finnick's face darkened and Kailani choked, slightly, her eyes going wide. "Gloss!"

He shrugged, unconcerned. "I had to get one in, he's been asking for it ever since we got in here."

"_Still_-"

"How about someone wakes up Peeta?" suggested Cashmere, coolly. Everyone turned to look at her, and she smiled serenely. "He's missing out on all the fun." Kailani shot her a look of gratitude, and she met it with a nod. There was definitely something Katniss was missing in all of this, but she didn't want to be the one to bring the topic up again.

"Good idea," said Finnick. He tore his eyes away from Gloss, and they glinted mischievously. His entire mood changing in an instant. "How about we do it together?" he suggested, looking at Katniss. "Put our faces right in front of his?"

She shrugged, "Let's do it." Katniss figured she wouldn't have very many other opportunities to have a little bit of fun, besides it was probably something they all needed. Katniss and Finnick positioned themselves either side of Peeta, both of them leaning over until their faces were just centimetres from his nose. Katniss shook him slightly. "Peeta," she sang, "Peeta, wake up." His eyelids fluttered open and with a yell, Peeta jumped as if someone had stabbed him. She and Finnick burst into laughter, and the disdained look Peeta was trying to keep up did nothing to help them control themselves. Katniss thought that maybe Finnick Odair wasn't so bad. She had judged him too soon, Kailani was right, he did take some getting used too, and he was not nearly as vain as she had originally assumed he was. In fact, he was far from it. Since the beginning of these Games, he had done nothing but tried to protect her and Peeta, and she had the feeling he would rather die than see something happen to Kailani. She couldn't deny that Finnick definitely had his good qualities.

A parachute landed next to them with a fresh loaf of bread. Haymitch had the tendency to send gifts timed with some kind of message. And Katniss would be foolish to presume that that had changed. Her mentor was trying to tell her something, and she knew exactly what it was. Be friends with Finnick, be friends with any of them really, they could only help.

Finnick turned the bread over in his hands, examining the crust almost possessively. Katniss didn't understand. The bread was obviously from District Four, the faint green tint of seaweed gave that away. Maybe he just realised how precious it was, that there was every chance he wouldn't see it again. If that was his problem though, he wasn't talking about it. "This will go well with the shellfish," he said, instead. Katniss decided against commenting on his strange behaviour. It had been a long day yesterday, they were all bound to be acting a bit odd. As Finnick and Kailani cleaned the meat from the shellfish, Cashmere prepared the bread, Gloss took guard and she helped Peeta coat his skin with the ointment. It smelled awful, but Katniss was glad for the medicine nonetheless. Not only did it relieve them of their incessant itching, but it provided them with protection from the blazing, hot sun. They had almost been in the arena for an entire day, judging by the position of the sun, the time must have been going on ten o' clock. Ten of the other tributes were dead. Fourteen were alive. Somewhere in the jungle their enemies were concealed, just waiting for their moment to strike, to survive. No matter what the cost. Where she had once seen the jungle as a place of protection, Katniss had come to realise that it was nothing more than a sinister trap. It was not safe in there, but she knew that at some point they would be forced to re-enter, either to hunt or be hunted. For now though, she was content to stay on the beach. Peeta, Gloss, Cashmere, Finnick and Kailani did not look as if they felt like suggesting otherwise. For a while, the jungle seemed almost static, humming, shimmering, but not flaunting its dangers. Then, in the distance, came screaming. Across from them, a wedge of the jungle began to vibrate. An enormous wave crested high on the hill, topping the trees before it roared down the slope. The wave hit the existing seawater with such force that, even though they were as far away as they could be, the surf still bubbled up around their knees, setting a few of their possessions afloat. Among the six of them, they managed to collect everything before it was carried away.

A cannon fired. They watched as the hovercraft appeared over the area where the wave began and plucked a body from in between the trees. That took the death toll up to eleven, which meant that thirteen were still alive.

The circle of water slowly began to calm down, having absorbed the tidal wave. They rearranged their things back on the wet sand and Kailani was about to sit down, when Katniss' voice stopped her.

"Look, there," she said, quietly. She nodded to a segment of the beach two spokes down. They all followed her gaze, where three figures were stumbling onto the beach. Without a word to each other, they backed up into the shade of the jungle and watched the trio silently. They were in bad shape, that much was obvious. One was being dragged out by the second, and the third wandered in unkempt circles, as if deranged. All of them, were painted red from head to toe. It made recognising them difficult, but something about one of the competitors was vaguely familiar to Kailani.

"Who is that?" asked Peeta, "Or what? Muttations?"

Katniss drew back an arrow, readying herself for an attack, but Gloss shook his head, "No, they're too human to be muttations." He narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully.

Whoever was being dragged, collapsed to the beach. The other person stomped the ground in frustration, and turned to the strange one, the circling one and shoved them to the sand. Kailani gasped, she knew who was over there. "It's Johanna," she breathed. Finnick's face lit up and he bolted towards the figures.

"Johanna!" he called. Kailani was quick to follow behind him.

The briefest flicker of relief crossed her face, as she spotted them. "Finnick! Kailani!" she yelled back. And the closer they came, the more horrific the scene before them transformed to be. It turned out that the other two tributes with her were Beetee and Wiress, and it was not some kind of paint or due they were covered in, but blood. The metallic scent filled the air, but aside from Beetee on the ground, they seemed relatively unarmed.

"Are you alright?" asked Finnick, "What happened?"

"Do I look, alright?" screeched Johanna. She dealt with situations differently, and it almost always involved her becoming angry. It was just what she did, how she protected herself. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed dangerously, and Kailani followed her gaze. Gloss and Cashmere. "What the fuck are those two doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Johanna," sneered Gloss.

Johanna glared at him, fiercely. "Shut up, I already want to but an axe in your brain."

"I'd like to see you try."

"You know that I could."

Cashmere rolled her eyes, a bored expression on her face as Katniss and Peeta arrived, and hovered awkwardly to the side. "We decided to try a different tactic this year," she said, simply. "Deal with it, Mason."

"I will _not_!" She turned her furious eyes to Finnick and Kailani, and they shrunk back slightly. "Are you two out of your goddamn minds?" Her face became thoughtful for a moment. "Well, you are, I already know that-"

"We'll actually agree with you in that regard," added Cashmere. Gloss smirked, and Kailani had the sudden urge to find her spear and smack all of them with it. Did _everyone_ know? Sometimes it felt like it.

Johanna continued. "But trusting them? That's insane. You two are insane."

"Perhaps, but you should be used to that, right?" She gave her a pointed look of annoyance and Johanna rolled her eyes. "Now, tell us what happened."

"We thought it was rain, you know, because of the lightning, and we were all so thirsty," she started, "But when it started coming down, it turned out to be blood. Thick, hot blood. You couldn't see, you couldn't speak without getting a mouthful. We just staggered around, trying to get out of it. That's when Blight hit the force-field." The cannon the night before. The one that had woken her. She, Katniss and Gloss could hear rain, that must have been Blight. Obviously Johanna, because she was sure that she had tried, had not been able to get his heart started again.

"I'm sorry, Johanna," said Finnick, sincerely. Had no one else been around, he probably would have hugged her. She would have been reluctant enough normally, let alone in front of everyone else. She wanted no comfort and would accept no comfort.

"Yeah, well, he wasn't much, but he was from home," she said, "And he left alone with these two." Johanna looked down at Beetee in disdain, the man was barely even conscious. "He got a knife in the back at the Cornucopia. And her-"

They all turned to look at Wiress. She was circling around, caked in dried blood and constantly murmuring, "Tick, tock. Tick, tock."

Johanna looked about to strangle her. "Yeah, we know," she spat out, angrily. "Tick, tock." That only seemed to draw Wiress in her direction and the woman careened into Johanna, haphazardly. She didn't hesitate in shoving her harshly to the ground. "That's enough!" she screamed, "Do you hear me!? Just stay down and be quiet!"

"Hey, lay off her," snapped Katniss.

There was a shift in the air and even Gloss eyed Johanna warily as she turned to face Katniss, slowly. "Lay off her?" she hissed. Before anyone could react, she stepped forward and slapped Katniss hard across the face. Katniss stumbled for a moment, and then she became angry. She lunged at Johanna, and Kailani just managed to step between them, pushing Katniss back.

"Who do you think got them out of the bleeding jungle for you?" she shouted, furiously, trying to get her hands on Katniss. Katniss did the same, but still, Kailani acted as a wall between them. "You stupid-" Finnick tossed her writhing body over his shoulder and Johanna screamed in frustration. Katniss looked tempted to string an arrow in her bow, but Kailani shot her a single look of warning. Her hands fell to her side. Finnick dumped Johanna in the water, but not even his consistent dunking of her could slow the string of insults and curses she threw Katniss' way. Suddenly, Kailani could feel a very strong headache coming on.

"Bit off more than you can chew there," said Cashmere.

Katniss ignored her. "What did she mean? That she got them for me?" she demanded, confused.

Kailani shrugged, keeping her face carefully neutral though she was sure Cashmere and Gloss would not be fooled so easily. They knew something was going on, they were smart. "Maybe they were looking for you, and Johanna and Blight decided to take pity and help them?" Kailani bent down and helped Wiress to her feet. "I don't know."

Katniss scoffed, disbelievingly. "I doubt that." She glared over at Johanna, and Kailani shot her a sharp look.

"Don't you judge her," she defended. Her voice was cold, and she could see from the surprise on Katniss and Peeta's faces that it wasn't something they had expected from her. They were used to her being kind and calming, but Johanna was her best friend, aside from Finnick, and she would not accept anyone insulting her, not even the girl on fire. They had _no_ idea of what Johanna had been through.

Katniss however, would not back down. Her back straightened and she turned an incredulous look to her, instead. "You're seriously defending her? She shoved Wiress for no-"

"I am aware of what she did," snapped Kailani. She softened her gaze, slightly. "But she deserves a break. Don't forget that while we saved Peeta, she couldn't save Blight. Through the blood, she dragged Beetee out alone and made sure she didn't lose Wiress. Everyone shows their emotions in different ways, Johanna gets angry. That's just how she deals with it all." She glanced at Peeta, then, before meeting Katniss' eyes. "How would you have been if Finnick hadn't been able to save Peeta?" Katniss had the good sense to look slightly ashamed. It would seem that she had made her point.

Wiress tugged at her hand. "Tick, tock," she said, "Tick, tock."

Kailani nodded her head, understandingly. "Yes, tick, tock, that's right." She gave her a soothing smile and prised her had from her grip. "You're going to go with Katniss now, okay?" Kailani looked at Katniss pointedly, and without argument she took Wiress' hand in her own. "Gloss, carry Beetee back to camp. You guys see what you can do for him, he'll bleed out otherwise. I'm going to help Finnick in the impossible task of calming Johanna down."

Gloss scoffed. "Good luck with that."

She glared at him. "_And_ when we get back try not to piss her off too much."

"Can't guarantee anything there."

"He is good at getting under her nerves," agreed Cashmere, "They have a special relationship."

No kidding. Kailani couldn't count how many times she had come across them grumbling things at one another. It was just, what they did. "Even so, give it a rest." With that, she spun on her heel and made her way to the water's edge. She plonked herself down in the shallow water, and Johanna rolled her eyes at the look she had fixed her with.

"Oh, come on," she complained, "_The girl on fire_. She acts all high and mighty, it was about time someone knocked some sense into her."

"Well, you've done that. Now, just _be nice_," begged Kailani, "I don't want you two at each other's throats all the time."

"She was out of line."

"Yeah, maybe she was-"

"Maybe?" scoffed Johanna.

"But," continued Kailani, acting as if she hadn't heard her. "You've dealt with it okay, you've called her every name in the book now just let it go, be your usual, cheery self," she said, the underlying sarcasm in her tone clear.

Johanna let out a long-suffering sigh. "Fine," she conceded, "But if she crosses me again-"

"Then by all means, knock more sense into her." Finnick raised an eyebrow and she shrugged, confidently. "It's fine, because it won't be a problem."

Having scrubbed most of the blood from her body, Johanna laid back in the water lazily. "So," she began, her eyes flickering to Kailani. "What happened to your hand?"

"Neron's face," she answered, coolly.

"Yeah, but only after he nearly drowned you," said Finnick.

Kailani sighed, "Stop fussing, Finnick. It's the Hunger Games, these things happen. At least Gloss fished me out after."

"Probably just trying to get on your good side," he muttered, grumpily.

Johanna smirked, "Oh, so you finally found out about those two, did you?"

"You knew?"

"What, that Kailani and Gloss were fuck-buddies? Of course." Finnick scowled, and if anything, the smirk on her face, widened. "Why? Are you jealous?"

Kailani could feel the panic flare inside of her, as she watched Finnick blanch at the question. This wasn't supposed to happen, it was getting too real, too uncomfortable. He spluttered uselessly and Johanna grinned. "Look," interrupted Kailani, "I get that you don't like Gloss, both of you. But he and Cashmere are helping us, they came in here wanting to do something different and that's exactly what they're doing. Let's leave it at that, shall we?"

Controlling himself somewhat, Finnick shrugged. "Fine, whatever."

Johanna just shook her head. "You two are fucking hopeless," she murmured, quietly, underneath her breath. "The both of you are as bad as each other."

Finnick looked confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Johanna didn't answer though, she was already striding across the sandy beach towards their camp. Kailani rushed to catch up with her. "Nothing more out of you, you hear me?" she said, warningly as Finnick remained out of earshot. "Don't make this more difficult than it already is."

Johanna waved her hand, unconcerned. "Yeah, yeah," she said, "I'll be good. I still think you should tell him, but I'll be good." Kailani sighed, tiredly.

The others had done a better job on Beetee than she had thought they would. His wound was cleaned and wrapped, they had even washed a majority of the blood not just from him, but from Wiress as well. As usual, Gloss hovered by the edge of their camp, keeping watch as his sister continued to tend to Beetee and Katniss attempted to coax Wiress into eating. He smiled, cockily at Johanna and she sneered at him return. Kailani gave both of them a look of warning as Peeta handed Johanna a bowl of water and she gulped it down, while simultaneously stuffing herself with shellfish. Finnick used that time to recount their experiences with the fog and the monkeys, it was better that everyone knew what the dangers were in this place.

Everyone offered to guard while the others took the time to rest, but in the end only Katniss and Johanna stayed up. Kailani was hesitant to leave them alone, worried that perhaps they might try to kill each other. Johanna though had convinced her that they would be fine, and with that somewhat flimsy guarantee, she fell into a much needed sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10:**

Katniss understood now. Wiress was not completely insane, she was trying to explain something to them, trying to make them see.

"Tick, tock," she mumbled, tossing and turning in her sleep.

The sun was overhead of them now, like it was noon. She had seen the ball of lightning strike the tree in the distance and that was when it hit her. It had been the same as last night. The tolling of the bell, it was like it was midnight, and now it was noon and the same thing had happened again. The segments. The lightning, and then the blood rain in the section over from them. They would have been in the third section, and when the rain stopped, the fog had started, like clockwork.

"Tick, tock."

That was right, the arena was a clock. Each hour began a new horror, a new Gamemaker weapon, and with it the previous one would end. At present, the blood rain was falling and they were all on the beach below the monkey segment. Much too close to the fog for her liking. Katniss had no idea whether the various attacks stayed within the confines of the jungle, the tidal wave certainly hadn't. She was not willing to stay and find out about the fog or the monkeys.

"Get up," she ordered, forcing Peeta, Finnick, Cashmere, Gloss, Johanna and Kailani to wake up, though in the latter's case, one hand on her shoulder and her eyes snapped open of her own accord. The spear was in her hand and pointed at her before she could even blink.

Kailani relaxed when she saw that it was only Katniss, "What is it?" she asked, "What's going on?"

"We have to move." There was enough time to explain the clock theory to them. About Wiress, the lightning and the segments. She seemed to have convinced everyone except Johanna and Gloss. Apparently, they were capable of agreeing on something, and that was that they were both sceptical. But even they knew that it was better to be safe than sorry.

While the others collected their few possessions, she roused Wiress. The elder woman awoke with a panicked, "Tick, tock!"

"Yes, tick, tock, the arena's a clock. It's a clock, Wiress, you were right," she said, calmingly, "You were right."

Relief flooded her face- she assumed it was because _finally_ someone had understood her. "Midnight," she said.

Katniss nodded, "It starts at midnight," she confirmed. Wiress looked over at the blood rain, "One-thirty."

"Exactly. One-thirty. And at two, a terrible poisonous fog begins there," she said, pointing towards the nearby jungle, "So we have to move somewhere safe now." Wiress smiled and stood up obediently. "Are you thirsty?" Katniss handed her a woven bowl and she gulped down about a litre. Finnick handed her the last bit of the bread, and she gnawed on it happily. With the inability to communicate overcome, she was functioning again.

Beetee was still pretty out of it, but when Gloss tried to lift him, he objected, "Wire," he said.

"She's right here," said Peeta, comfortingly. "Wiress is fine. She's coming too."

But still, Beetee struggled. "Wire," he insisted.

"Oh, I know what he wants," said Johanna, impatiently. She crossed the beach and picked up a cylinder, he must have dropped it when he had collapsed earlier. It was coated in a thick layer of congealed blood. "This worthless thing. It's some kind of wire or something. That's how he got cut. Running up to the Cornucopia to get this. I don't know what kind of weapon it's supposed to be. I guess you could pull off a piece and use it as a garrotte or something. But really, can you imagine Beetee garrotting somebody?"

"He won his Games with wire. Setting up that electrical trap," said Peeta, "It's the best weapon he could have."

There was something odd about Johanna not putting that together herself, it made her suspicious. "Seems like you'd have figured that out," she said, "Since you nicknamed him Volts and all."

Johanna's eyes narrowed, "Yeah, that was really stupid of me, wasn't it?" she spat. "I guess I must have been distracted by keeping your little friends alive. While you were… what, again? What the hell were you doing while Finnick and Kailani pulled your ass along? While Glossy-" He scowled at that, but she didn't care. "-Did all the heavy lifting? While Cashmere kept your dumb self in line?" Katniss felt her fingers tighten on the knife handle at her belt. "Go ahead. Try it. I don't care if you are knocked up, I'll _rip your throat out." _

Kailani sighed, loudly and ran a hand over her face. "Maybe we should all just take a deep breath," said Finnick, shooting Katniss a look. He took the coil from Johanna and set it on Beetee's chest, "There's your wire, Volts. Watch where you plug it." He received a grateful smile from Kailani for his efforts. Gloss rolled his eyes and picked up a now unresisting Beetee.

"Where to?" asked Cashmere.

"The Cornucopia," said Finnick, "That's the centre, we can make sure we're right about the clock from there."

It seemed as good a plan as any. Besides, it gave her a chance to look over the weapons again. There were nine of them now, which was more than the other tributes still out there. They had seven good fighters, four of them could technically have been considered Careers. They had the best in the field, and they were all still working well enough together as a group, as a team almost. It was strange, having allies this time. She wasn't alone, there were people watching her back. She just had to ignore the fact that these were also people she would have to kill. Beetee and Wiress would probably find some way to die on their own. Johanna, well, if it came down to protecting Peeta or even just shutting her up, she could easily bring herself to kill her, assuming she and Gloss didn't take each other out first. He and his sister, Katniss still considered them wildcards, they were more dangerous than anyone, and there was some part of her that hoped they would get taken out in an attack, perhaps by District Two. They were probably pissed off that those two had left them to fend for themselves. Finnick and Kailani however, were a different story in the scheme of things. She almost wished that something would happen to one of them, just so that the other might go off on some kind of suicide revenge mission. That would make her job a lot easier. She didn't want to kill them, in fact, she wasn't entirely sure that she could. Katniss tried to thing about something, anything else. But the only thing that came to mind was killing President Snow, killing him for all of this. Not a very pretty daydream, but it was nothing she supposed.

They walked down the nearest strip of sand and approached the Cornucopia, carefully, just in case someone else was there, there wasn't. The area was abandoned, only the structure itself and the picked-over pile of weapons remained. Gloss laid Beetee down in the shade, and he called out to Wiress. She crouched beside him and he placed the coil of wire in her hands. "Clean it, will you?" he asked.

Wiress nodded and scampered over to the water's edge, where she dunked the coil in the water. She started to quietly sing a strange little song, about a mouse running up a clock. It must have been for children but it seemed to make her happy.

"Oh, not the song again," said Johanna, rolling her eyes, "That went on for hours before she started tick-tocking."

Suddenly, Wiress stood up very straight and pointed to the jungle, "Two," she said.

Katniss followed her finger to where the wall of fog had just started to seep out onto the beach. "Right on time," said Peeta. "You very smart to figure that out, Wiress."

Wiress smiled and went back to singing and dunking the coil. "Oh, she's more than smart," said Beetee, "She's intuitive." They all turned back to Beetee, who seemed to be coming back to life. "She can sense things before anyone else. Like a canary in one of your coal mines."

"What's that?" asked Cashmere.

"It's a bird that we take down into the mines to us if there's bad air," said Katniss.

"What's it do, die?" asked Johanna, doubtfully.

"It stops singing first. That's when you should get out. But if the air's too bad, it dies, yes. And so do you." She frowned. She didn't want to talk about this, about dying songbirds. They brought up too many memories, thoughts of her father's death and Rue's death, of so many others. Her mind wandered to Gale, her dear childhood friend probably down in those mines right now. President Snow could kill him so easily because of her, he could make it look like an accident. A silent canary, a spark, and nothing more. Her mind goes back to killing the president, all of this would end if he were dead and even if it didn't, she'd certainly feel better for it.

Despite her annoyance at Wiress, Johanna was as happy as she had ever seen her in the arena. While she added to her stock of arrows, Johanna poked around until she came up with of pair of lethal-looking axes and her eyes glinted, pleased. It seemed like an odd choice until she threw one with such force that it stuck in the sun-softened gold of the Cornucopia. Of course, she was Johanna Mason, from District Seven, their trade was lumber she'd probably been throwing axes around since she was a toddler. It was like Finnick with his trident, it was like Kailani with her spear, or Beetee with his wire. Cashmere and Gloss used their knives and daggers with such precision, if there was a target they could find it. And Rue, she had her knowledge of plants. It was yet another disadvantage that District Twelve had faced over the years. They didn't go down into the mines until they were eighteen, whereas most of the other tributes seemed to learn something about their trades early on. There were things you did in the mines that could have helped during the Games, whether it be wielding a pick or blowing things up, it could have given them an edge but it was learned too late for it to be useful.

While she messed around with the weapons, Peeta sat squatted on the ground, drawing something with the tip of his knife on a large, smooth leaf he had brought from the jungle. Katniss peered over his shoulder, curiously. It was a map, he had created a map of the arena. In the centre there was the Cornucopia on its circle of sand with the twelve strips branching out for it, it was like a pie sliced into twelve equal wedges. There was another circle that represented the waterline and a slightly larger one that indicated the edge of the jungle. "Look how the Cornucopia's positioned," he said.

She examined his drawing, focusing particularly on the middle. "The tail points to twelve o' clock," she said.

Peeta nodded, "Right, so this is the top of our clock," he said, and quickly scratched the numbers one through to twelve around the clock face. "Twelve to one is the lightning zone." He wrote lightning in tiny print in the corresponding wedge, then worked around clockwise, adding blood, fog and monkeys in the following sections.

"Ten to eleven is the wave," said Cashmere, wandering over to them. Her brother, Kailani, Finnick and Johanna along with her, all of them armed to the teeth with tridents, spears, axes and knives. They looked about ready to go to war.

"Did you notice anything unusual in the others?" asked Katniss, looking to Johanna and Beetee. They were the only ones that hadn't been with them the whole time, even so though, all they'd seen was a lot of blood. "I guess they could hold anything."

"I'm going to mark the ones where we know the Gamemakers' weapon follows us out past the jungle, so we'll stay clear of those," said Peeta, drawing diagonal lines on the fog and wave beaches. He sat back, admiring his work. "Well, it's a lot more than we knew this morning, anyway."

They all nodded in agreement, but that's when she noticed it, noticed that something was missing. There was no noise, it was silent. Their canary had stopped singing. She didn't hesitate, she loaded an arrow and twisted on the spot. A tribute, she wasn't sure who, let Wiress slide lifelessly to the ground, her throat slit open in a bright red smile. The point of Katniss' arrow disappeared into his right temple. The woman allied alongside him let go of her knife, and it flew through the air. Gloss dodged, just as Johanna buried an axe blade in her chest. Her eyes darted around, looking for more. Finnick batted away a spear Brutus had thrown at Peeta and for it, received a knife to his thigh from Enobaria. Kailani was quick to respond, she threw her own spear, and if not for the Cornucopia that he just managed to duck behind, Brutus would have been dead. Him and Enobaria, both of the tributes from District Two. Katniss sprung forward to pursue the pair, as the canon sounded three times throughout the arena. That was it then, there was nothing that could be done for Wiress, nor the other two tributes that had been killed. She and her allies, rounded the horn and started to give chase to Brutus and Enobaria, to their biggest threats, as they sprinted down a sand strip towards the jungle. But before they could get too far, the ground jerked beneath their feet. 

It was moving, the circle of land that held the Cornucopia started to spin, and spin fast. Johanna could feel herself being pulled towards the water, but she dug her hands in the ground and held on. There was a yell to the side of her that sounded a lot like Kailani, but there was nothing she could do about it. All she could see was the jungle spinning, the sand flying. She wasn't surprised when rather than slowing down, they just slammed to a stop. No warning, nothing. The Gamemakers were real assholes, that was for sure. Doing her best to blink away the dizziness, and the queasiness, Johanna looked around. All of them had managed to hold on, at least, so it had seemed. It was Kailani that she had heard, with her bad hand she must have slipped but Gloss had a tight grip on her wrist. He had kept her from being flung into the water. Finnick couldn't decide whether to look relieved, or annoyed by the display. Not that it meant anything, she knew that and so did they. It was just Finnick, poor, idiotic Finnick. That was when she noticed it, noticed that they were one person down. The three dead bodies had been thrown into the seawater, but so had someone else.

"Where's Volts?" she asked. Shakily, Johanna pushed herself to her feet, the others doing the same. It was Finnick that spotted him about twenty metres out, barely keeping afloat. He dived into the water and swam out, to haul him back in. Katniss spun about frantically, her eyes scanning the water. Before Johanna could even think to question her, she tossed her weapons to the ground.

"Cover me," she called back.

"Wait!" yelled Kailani, but she was already gone. Katniss raced down the land strips and dived into the water. The hovercraft appeared in the sky above them, and they all eyed it, warily. Katniss was going after Wiress, she still had the wire that Beetee had given to her to clean.

Johanna shook her head. "That idiot." Did that girl forget that she was carrying life inside of her? Unless that was all a lie, who even knew. Nonetheless, any one of them would have been better than her to go after the coil. She forced herself not to frown, they were more expendable. Johanna supposed Katniss wasn't aware of that though, the girl on fire had no idea.

Finnick dragged Beetee back to the Cornucopia, and Peeta helped him pull the man onto land as gently as possible. He was coughing and spluttering, but otherwise alright. The hovercraft had taken the body of Wiress by now, and Katniss walked back to where they had gathered, the coil of wire clutched tightly in her hand. Silently, without a word, she placed it in Beetee's lap before wandering across to Peeta and wrapping her arms around him. Johanna took in the people around her, all of them, their faces sober in their loss. There were more here than she had expected, the biggest surprise had been Gloss and Cashmere. She was sure that they had no idea of the plan, had no idea of their true goals in forming this alliance. It made her wonder why they did it, why they hadn't just teamed with Brutus and Enobaria like they'd probably originally planned, and been done with it. If they intended to kill them, they had lost their chance, they were outnumbered it would be suicide. Perhaps they did know something, perhaps they _had_ figured it out. Everything they did, revolved around Katniss. They weren't dumb, they were both victors and mentors, they would have to have noticed that. Gloss met her gaze, and raised an eyebrow. She scowled at him. Even if they did intend to help, even if they had an inkling of what was going on, that didn't keep _him_ from being any less of a bastard. He enjoyed getting a rise out of her. Hell, he enjoyed getting a rise out of everyone. How Kailani had put up with him for so long was beyond her, then again, it wasn't like they talked. Their _encounters_, only had one purpose in mind. She had a distinct feeling that the only reason he and his sister was here, was because of Kailani. She must have said something, she must have _done_ something, because no one else would have. Johanna looked over at her then, kneeling down next to Finnick. His attention was entirely on Kailani, as she shook her head, scoldingly and wrapped the bandages she had used for her hand, around his leg instead. Those two, they frustrated her more than Katniss or Gloss ever could. Every move, every little thing revolved around each other. It always did, and it always would. The only time it didn't, was when Annie became involved. Johanna would quite like to teach her a lesson given the chance, but Finnick would have her head if she tried. Kailani would as well, it would reveal too much. She looked out at the beach, there was no sign of Brutus or Enobaria now, they were long gone, and it was about time they did the same. They were wasting time here, they had to get moving.

"Let's get off this stinking island," she said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them all.

They gathered their weapons, and Cashmere helped Beetee to stand. He insisted that as long as they went slowly, he could walk on his own. Kailani suggested they head to the twelve o' clock beach, it would provide them with hours of calm and keep them well clear of the poisonous fog. Johanna was almost glad she'd only had the blood rain to deal with instead, given the states of her allies, the fog looked like it had been a right pain in the ass to deal with. She went in one direction towards the twelve o' clock beach, and so did Finnick and Peeta.

"Twelve o' clock, right?" asked Peeta. "The tail points to twelve."

"Before they spun us," pointed out Finnick, "I was judging by the sun."

"The sun only tells you it's going on four, Finnick," said Katniss.

"I think Katniss's point is," began Beetee, "Knowing the time doesn't mean you necessarily know where four is on the clock. You might have a general idea of the direction. Unless you consider that they may have shifted the outer ring of jungle as well."

Katniss' eyes screamed confusion, but nonetheless she nodded her head as if she understood exactly what Beetee had explained. "Yes, so any one of these paths could lead to twelve o' clock," she said. Johanna resisted the urge to groan, that means they were right back where they started, _clueless_.

They circled around the Cornucopia, scrutinising the jungle, trying to recognise something about the sectors that could put them back on track. It was impossible though, it was all uniform in structure, the beach looked the same, the trees all looked the same. They couldn't tell where anything was, even Brutus and Enobaria's tracks had been either blown or washed away.

"I should have never mentioned the clock," said Katniss, her voice bitter. "Now they've taken that advantage away as well."

"Only temporarily," said Kailani. "At ten, we'll see the wave again and be back on track."

"Yes, they can't redesign the whole arena," said Peeta.

Johanna rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter," she said, impatiently. "You had to tell us or we never would have moved our camp in the first place, brainless." If anything, that did seem to make Katniss feel better. "Come on, I need water. Anyone have a good gut feeling?"

They choose a path randomly and took it, having no other choice but to hope for the best. The jungle stared at them menacingly, as they tried to decipher what lay inside, just waiting for them.

"Well, it must be monkey hour, and I don't see any of them in there," said Peeta, "I'm going to try to tap a tree."

"No, it's my turn," said Finnick.

"I'll at least watch you're back."

"It's okay," interrupted Kailani, "I'll go with, Katniss can come and keep watch."

Johanna nodded in agreement. "Good idea, we need you to make another map anyway. The other one washed away." She yanked a large leaf off of the tree and handed it to Peeta. Katniss hesitated, her eyes flickering to the rest of their companions. Gloss, Cashmere, Johanna, Beetee, all of them alone with Peeta. Kailani understood her concern, she didn't know of any alternative plans, the only thing she was worried about was keeping her partner alive. That was all she wanted, she could see it in her eyes. She could relate to that, she supposed.

"Come on Katniss," she said, lightly. "Those trees won't tap themselves." Kailani tried to keep her voice as calm and soothing as possible, nothing too suspicious just enough to ensure that Katniss followed them. It was better if she trusted them more, it would all go much smoother that way. They would get the water, come back and she would find Peeta perfectly fine. Finnick walked into the jungle, and she followed behind him. Katniss joined them, her face still twisted in uncertainty. They went a good fifteen metres in before Finnick found a good tree and began to stab at it with a knife. He glanced at her coolly, and Kailani had the sudden feeling that he was about to question her.

"Gloss keep you from being thrown into the water?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. She was getting real tired of this, of him constantly acting jealous because that was exactly what he was doing. He had been a right mood after Gloss had fished her out of the water at the beginning of the Games, though that might have also had something to do with the fact that she had nearly drowned. "No, we were just holding hands," said Kailani, sarcastically. She couldn't understand it, why he kept focusing on these little things. Katniss glanced at them, but kept her mouth shut.

Finnick feigned a look of hurt. "Come on 'Lani, I was just curious."

She didn't believe him for a second, just fixed him with a long look. "Just be glad he did, I wouldn't have enjoyed being thrown out into the middle of nowhere."

"I could have brought you back in."

"I _know_ you could have."

He stabbed at the tree again, before turning to Katniss. "You got the spile?" She nodded and handed it to him. That was when they heard it, a scream. Katniss became a deathly shade of white, and before they could stop her, she was pelting into the jungle, following the sound. Finnick and Kailani exchanged one look, before going after her. She couldn't go in there alone, and whatever it was, whoever she had heard, it could not be good.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11:**

They can hear her calling for her, calling for Prim, for her sister. There was no way she was here though, or even that it was her voice she had heard. In this place, with the Gamemakers controlling everything that happened, it could have been anything. They caught up to Katniss, and she just stood there, her face twisted in anger but the panic still there as she cleaned her arrow with a strip of moss.

"Katniss?" said Finnick, his voice careful, unwilling to startle her.

She didn't look at them "I'm okay, I'm fine," she said. It was unconvincing, but they didn't question her. "I thought I heard my sister but-" Another piercing scream cut her off, and Kailani was sure that her heart had stopped. Her head snapped to Finnick, and she watched, unable to do anything as the fear crossed over his face.

"Finnick-" started Kailani, but he was already gone, bolting off after the voice. When it came to do with Annie Cresta, Finnick did not and would not listen to reason. She knew that better than anyone. She didn't hesitate, she ran off after him, trying to keep up but failing. He was too fast for her normally, let alone in this state.

"Finnick, wait!" yelled Katniss. She could hear her following after them, but Kailani didn't have time to look back at her. She ran, the sound of Annie screaming still ringing around the jungle, loud and clear.

"Annie!" screamed Finnick, desperately, "Annie!"

Kailani felt sick, and not because they had just run half a kilometre uphill. She wondered briefly, as Finnick paced the foot of a large tree, the sounds of his beloved emanating from within the leaves, if it would have been easier for him had he known the truth, had Annie not been this vision of the perfect human being in his head. What would the Gamemakers use against him then? Would it be as easy to send him into this state of panic, into this terrified man about to crack under the strain? She didn't know, and she didn't know what she could do to help him. Kailani inched closer to him, slowly, cautiously. He would have been climbing that tree had the first decent limb not begun well out of their reach.

"Finnick," she tried. But he wasn't listening, he was in his own world and Annie's screams probably drowned her out. Those horrible screams of terror and pain, of absolute fear. Katniss began climbing the tree next to it, and finally, Kailani made her move. She grabbed Finnick by the hand, and stilled his movements, forcing him to look at her.

"Annie," he said, again. His voice filled with despair. He tried to reach the tree again, but she was stronger than she looked and held him in his place.

"Finnick, _listen to me_." Suddenly, the screams stopped and a bird fell at their feet. She glanced down at it. It had an arrow in its neck, but it was clear enough what it was. It was a jabberjay. "Look, see. It's not her, she's at home, she is _safe_. Annie is not here."

Another sound started up, they were old, broken screams. Kailani stiffened, despite herself. It was her mother. She sounded so hurt, so in pain, like an animal that just wanted to die. Finnick stared at her, his face pained. "No, it's not Annie, it's not Mags," he agreed, "But it is their voices. Jabberjays mimic what they hear, where did they get those screams, Kailani?" She could see all of the colour leave Katniss' face once more, and she swayed dangerously.

"You don't think they…" Katniss trailed off, horrified.

Kailani shook her head. "No, no I don't believe, I won't and neither should you two." As real as it was, she refused to believe that Snow and the Gamemakers had gotten their hands on all of these people, on enough people from each district, connected to each tribute to be able to give the jabberjays their ammunition. It was too much work, even for them.

"They took them, they're torturing them," snapped out Finnick, stubbornly. Katniss sunk down to her knees, staring at the ground. "I know it."

"Stop it, stop _this_."

"No! No, Kailani! Because it's _Annie_, I-" A man's voice had started up now as well, and immediately Katniss was on her feet. Finnick grabbed her arm before she could run after it. "No, it's not him." He started pulling her downhill, Kailani along with her. "We're getting out of here!" Katniss struggled, fiercely but Finnick would not relent. "It's not him! It's a mutt!" he shouted, "Come on!" Kailani tried to pull from his grip, she could walk on her own she didn't need help but it was too tight. It would probably bruise by tomorrow. She caught sight of Johanna, Peeta, Gloss and Cashmere hovering by the tree line. They just stood there, not moving. Peeta's lips were moving, but none of them could hear him. The wall between them is so transparent they don't even notice it is there until they smack into it, hard. The three of them bounced back to the jungle floor, and despite herself, Kailani let out a small scream as she fell onto her hand. Beetee behind them all, looked at them sadly. They were so close to camp yet so far, they were trapped in here until the hour was up. She glanced over at Finnick, his nose was gushing blood from the impact but that wasn't what worried her, she wasn't sure he could last the rest of the hour, not in here. The birds began to gather, she could see them lining up on the branches, flying into the trees. And once again, the screams began. There was no way through the barrier, no weapon made a dent and Kailani didn't have to investigate further to know that it would encase the entire wedge they were in. They had no choice but to wait it out, and Finnick gave in immediately. He sunk down to the ground, his back hunched, his hands clenched over his ears so tightly it was as if he was trying to crush his own skull. Kailani could hear her mother amongst the fray, Asher too. There were the children that lived down the road from them, the ones she and Finnick had taught to swim. All of them screaming, crying, all of them in indescribable pain. Katniss fought against it for a little while, she emptied her quiver of arrows killing as many jabberjays she could but there were too many of them. As soon as one fell, another appeared. She stopped trying, and curled up beside Finnick, doing her best to block out the noises. Kailani kept her distance, she couldn't help it, because it wasn't just the sounds of those they loved being tortured. There was something else as well, something meant only for her. The birds sat close by, eyeing her hungrily. The Gamemakers must have known that she had had more sense, if anything that only proved her point, that these noises couldn't have been real but no one was in any condition to listen to her, nor really was she that keen to talk. Not when they began to taunt her, it was no one's voice in particular. It was a cold, neutral sound but it was enough. _'Liar'_, it said. _'He will hate you for this, for keeping it from him'_. Neither Finnick nor Katniss heard anything beyond the screams, the begging for help. _'Liar, liar, liar, liar'_. She looked out beyond the invisible wall, to Johanna who knew everything about her and gave her one single defeated look. Kailani would have preferred the screams over this, over the one thing that made her feel worse than anything else. They probably didn't even know what they were taunting her with, but then again, they didn't have too. They knew enough. She took a deep breath, and clenched her eyes closed. It would be over soon, it would be done and the accursed things would be silenced. _'You deceive, you lie, you are no friend to him'_. But it was like they were reading her mind, was she really that transparent? No, because otherwise Finnick would have known long ago that something was wrong, that everything was not as it should be. _'Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar'_. Kailani flinched. The voices may have been fake, but those words were the truth. She was a liar, she had been lying to her best-friend for years. The woman he loved was cheating on him, he was living a lie all because she didn't have the guts to tell him, he was suffering now, because she didn't have the guts to tell him. She couldn't do this, she couldn't hold out the rest of the hour like this. Exhausted, Kailani slipped to the ground. Johanna tried to get her attention. Her, Gloss, Cashmere, she was the only one left that was still half-aware of what was going on around them, she was the only one left that they could help. But she was too tired to keep paying attention. Kailani wrapped her arms around her legs, and kept her eyes shut. Eventually, the noises stopped and Cashmere was coaxing her too her feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked. That was probably the first time she had ever heard her sound caring. Were they friends? Sure, they were all the same age give or take a couple of years. Her, Johanna, Finnick, Gloss and Cashmere. They got along well enough, they spoke to one another, but normally, it was all just polite small talk. This was the first time she had actually heard some emotion in her voice, maybe she was softening up to them all a bit.

"Better than them," said Kailani, glancing over at Finnick and Katniss.

"I don't know," said Johanna, sceptically. "You look about as bad as they do. I suppose you heard you mother?"

"Of course, but that wasn't what-" She frowned. _'Liar, liar, liar, liar'_. The sound still rang through her head. "Finnick heard Annie." Kailani almost scowled at that name, almost gave away how much the jabberjays had affected her. If not for her, if not for what she did- hell, if not for what she was probably doing at that very moment, then everything would be fine. "I think I need to talk him."

Johanna caught the true meaning, her eyes widened and she glanced over at Finnick. "Are you serious? Now? What did those things say to you?"

She lowered her voice, she couldn't let Finnick know anything. "They know I've been lying Johanna, _I can't do it anymore_, I can't-" She broke off, and ran a hand over her face. Peeta was trying to convince Katniss that it wasn't real, Finnick too. He listened intently, hung on to every word. But it was real for her, the Capitol may have been able to manipulate the voices but it was _real for her_.

Cashmere shook her head, her blue eyes narrowed. If there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was being out of the loop. "What's going on? What are you two talking about? If this is about you being in love with Finnick-"

Kailani hushed her, and stared at her incredulity. "I don't know what you're talking about but _no_, that is not what it is."

"It should be." Johanna nodded her head in agreement.

"Fuck off," she spat, "Both of you." Kailani wasn't in the mood for that kind of crap, for them to tell her what she should do. She knew what she needed to do now, there was no point putting it off. Maybe it would ease his pain, just a little bit (or maybe, it would make him feel worse). 

It was possible then. Beetee had made it very clear how simple it was too mimic and change voices, to be able to use that against them. Kailani could have been right, Annie could very well be safe at home. Then again, perhaps not. In here, it was impossible tell, all he knew was the he would never get the sound of Annie screaming like that, out of his head. The water lapped at his feet, and he took a deep breath.

"Hey." Her voice was quiet, and sounded odd, but he still recognised who it was as Kailani sat next to him. He would always recognise her voice. Finnick glanced over at her, as the guilt gnawed at him. He was suddenly very aware that he hadn't even spoken to her since she'd tried to calm him down. He may have heard Annie, but she had heard her mother and a great deal of other things as well. It was such a blur, as soon as they had hit that wall he had just sunk in on himself, he didn't know what else to do. He had completely forgotten that Kailani was there too, she'd just disappeared. He remembered Katniss, she had been next to him, but Kailani, he didn't know where she had gone. It was strange of her, not to have been there, to have kept her distance, not like her at all and studying her now, he realised she still wasn't herself. Not that he could blame her, he was the same.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," he said.

"Don't you be sorry," said Kailani, sharply. She sighed, "I'm the one who should be sorry."

Finnick frowned. That didn't sound right, she had done nothing that warranted her apologising. "What are you talking about?"

She didn't look at him, just stared out at the water. Her body was tense, her hand clenched tightly at her side. Finnick had the sudden urge to grab it in his own, to soothe her, hold her but he held back. Now wasn't the time, there wasn't really any appropriate time to be that affectionate with her, people had enough ideas as it was.

"Finnick, I need to tell you something, I need to tell you something really important." Her voice shook, slightly, and that worried him even more. He tried to keep his face calm though, at least for her sake.

"You know you can always tell me anything."

Kailani winced. That wasn't the reaction he had been hoping for. "This probably isn't the best time. Johanna has been threatening me to tell you for ages, but I just- I couldn't do it but after that, after hearing _them_. I can't do it anymore, I'm tired. I am _always_ tired, and guilty and I-" She shook her head, to herself more than anything he suspected. "I have kept this from you for too long, but she looked at me with those eyes. You know how hard they are to refuse, and- and you were so happy." Finnick could feel the fear bubbling up in his stomach, the panic seeping through him. This was serious, this was really serious and it scared him to no end. Her face hardened and finally, _finally_, Kailani faced him. "Annie, isn't who you think she is, Finnick. She's been _cheating_ on you, sleeping with other men."

He didn't know what he was thinking, but in an instant, Finnick was on his feet glaring down at Kailani. Anger pulsed through his veins and he could have sworn, that his vision went red. "You're wrong." Annie would never do that, not his dear, sweet Annie Cresta. It wasn't who she was, even before the Games. And he had thought, that Kailani wasn't someone to accuse her of such things either. It was _Annie_, for God's sake.

Kailani pushed herself to her feet. "I'm not wrong, Finnick. _I saw her_."

It was a lie, she was lying. She had to have been. "No, you didn't. You're lying to me." Kailani flinched. "I don't know why, but you are. Annie would never do that to me, she wouldn't-"

"She would!" yelled Kailani. The others, standing by the edge of the jungle, glanced over at them. "What don't you understand about me seeing her? It wasn't just once either, it is time and time again for _years_ now! She is not who you think she is."

Stubbornly, Finnick shook his head. He refused to believe it, refused to believe that his happiness was nothing more than a figment of his imagination. "It's not Annie, Kailani, it's _you_. You aren't who I thought you were, or you've changed, or something." "

She shook her head, her eyes full of pity. "No, Finnick."

"Yes! BECAUSE IT'S NOT TRUE!" He leaned down and in seconds, had his trident in hand and pointed at her throat. The colour drained out of her face, and he was only vaguely aware of Johanna swearing in the distance, of their companions getting to their feet, inching closer warily. Finnick breathed heavily, his hands shaking. "Stop this," he begged, "_Please_, just stop, stop lying."

"I have," she whispered. His grip on the trident tightened, his knuckles whitening. "I know I'm just as bad for keeping it from you, and for telling you now, of all times but it's the truth, I promise you that." Slowly, she leaned down to pick up her spear and stepped away. One step, two steps and then she turned around. It was wrong, he knew it the moment he started to position his trident, the moment he started aiming for her back. This was Kailani, his best-friend, or at least, it was. She didn't do these kind of things, she didn't hurt him intentionally. He wasn't sure what his motivation was, _but it was wrong_. Whatever his brain was thinking, whatever awful things he labelled her as, _it was wrong_. There was no time to take it back though, as he let go of the trident and it was sent soaring towards her. It was a good thing she was who she was, if it was anyone else, Johanna, Gloss, Cashmere, Katniss, none of them would have been fast enough, would have been skilled enough to stop that trident. But she was. They had been training together their entire lives, using tridents and spears, she could stop it, and she did. Kailani spun around, and knocked away the trident. The look she gave him though, it was something that would haunt him forever. All she had been trying to do was clear her conscience, he knew that, he could see that. As much as he wanted to deny everything that she told him, he knew she would have no reason to lie like that, to hurt him like that. It wasn't what she wanted, none of this was what she wanted. That look, that terrible look of fear and betrayal, it cleared his mind better than anything. Finnick couldn't believe what he had just done. If she had been a second too slow, she would be dead, _he_ would have killed her. And it wasn't the first time her district partner had tried to do something like that. That, was what he saw in the look she gave him. That, and a whole lot of other things. He could deal with what Annie had done later, process all of that later, because there was only one thing on his mind now and that was Kailani.

"'Lani…" he started. Finnick took a step closer to her, to her frozen form but as soon as he did, she began to back away.

"Don't-" Her voice was ice cold, and it hit him like a set of knives. "Don't call me that, and don't come near me." She was shutting him out, him and everything else, just like she had after she had been forced to kill her partner in her own Games. He wouldn't let her do that though, he couldn't.

"Kailani, _please_. I didn't mean-" But she wasn't even listening to him. She turned sharply on her heel and stalked back to their camp. Adamantly, he ignored the others as he quickly followed behind her. "Kailani!" She snatched up a few rolls of bread, took a sip of water and made for the jungle. Panic flared inside of him, but it was Johanna that got to her first. She grabbed her wrist and held Kailani in her place, giving her a long look.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

With a fierce tug, Kailani escaped her grip. "I'm leaving." She said it so simply, as if that was all it was, but they all knew better than that. Finnick wanted to throw up, he had done this. He was an idiot, he should have listened to her, taken it all in better. _He shouldn't have blamed her._

"You leave, and you die," said Johanna.

Kailani's face didn't change, it stayed cool and collected. That just made it so much worse. "I know."

She knew, of course she knew. Kailani was walking to her death, she was doing it willingly and all because of _him_. She was doing it to get away from him but he wouldn't let her. Kailani could hate him all she liked, he would deserve it, but he would _not let her die_.

"Kailani, don't do this," said Beetee, "We need you."

She scoffed, "No, you don't. If anything, it's about time we go a down a number, there are too many of us as it is."

"What about your mother?" asked Cashmere.

Kailani didn't even hesitate. "It doesn't matter anymore." She pushed past Johanna, and began to walk away. She did not run, nor jog, she walked and that made catching up to her a lot easier for Finnick. _He was not going to let her die_. However, he also knew she was not going to back down easily. She had her mind made up, she was done. He just needed to her stay though, not forgive him, not even look at him if she didn't want too, just stay. He shoved her roughly against a tree, and trapped her there, or at least he tried. Finnick knew the others were watching, but he didn't care. Kailani fought hard against him, and before he knew it, she had kneed him in the groin. He groaned in pain, but he couldn't let her get away, that was all he focussed on. She had picked up her speed now, she just wanted to leave and without thinking, Finnick lunged after her. He knocked her to the ground and still, she struggled. Of course she did, he wasn't surprised, he was prepared. He pinned her down, and crawled on top of her so that he straddled her, using his body weight to keep her from escaping. Not that she didn't try, she did everything she could, swinging at him furiously. Kailani let out a scream of frustration, and he grabbed her wrists, forcing them above her head, doing his best not to jostle her bad hand too much. "That's enough!" he yelled. She glared at him, icily but stilled nonetheless. "Just stop and think about this for a second, think about what you're doing."

"Oh, but I thought you wanted me to stop lying? That's what I'm doing, I'm not lying to you, or _myself_." He cringed, and his grip on her wrists tightened slightly.

"Please don't do this, please, _please_." Finnick leaned his forehead against hers, and adamantly, she turned her gaze away, staring off to the side. "I'm begging you. We were supposed to be doing this together, that was all that mattered, remember?" His voice cracked, he couldn't help himself. None of this, was going as they had planned. "Just stay Kailani, please. I won't survive this without you. If I had hit you with that trident, I would have _begged_ them to end me because I couldn't have-" He broke off, and still Kailani glared adamantly to the side. That was fine, as long as she was listening. "Just stay. If not for me, then for all of them, for Mags who is watching us _right now_. Just think it through Kailani, don't do this for something I did."

She was silent, until finally, Kailani turned her head and looked at him. He couldn't read her anymore, had no idea what she was thinking. His stomach turned, and he didn't even bother trying to hide how pathetic he was sure he looked. Maybe it would convince her to stay but given her mood, given the way she was still staring at him, he didn't think he would. "Get off of me." There was something in her voice this time, something else. Finnick had almost forgotten the position they were in. He was suddenly very aware of Kailani beneath him, but he had to make sure, he couldn't let her go just for her to leave.

"Are you going to stay?"

"Just get off of me."

"Kailani…"

She growled, "Alright! I'll stay, just for the love of God-"

Finnick scrambled off of her, and Kailani got to her feet. She didn't meet his gaze, just brushed past him and stalked back to camp. Without a word, she snatched up a few shells and made back for the jungle. "I'll get water," she said.

"But the jabberjays," said Katniss, speaking up.

Kailani just scoffed and kept walking. Glaring at him, Johanna followed behind her. "Nothing they could do, could beat this," she said, pointedly. Finnick swallowed, thickly but didn't say anything to defend himself, she was right. 

Kailani felt like she couldn't breathe. The tree they had found earlier still had the spile stuck in it, and she stared it at it, blankly. Everything was wrong, and she couldn't breathe. She had held herself together before, blocked everything out because it was all she could do not to break down right there, right then. She refused to do it in front of _him_, never again would she let him see her broken. He never really did see her like that, she'd hidden it away back then as well. Just thinking about Finnick though, it _hurt_. Tears streamed down her face, angry hot tears that would not stop. All she could feel was the pain, the betrayal. Kailani had never thought he would take it like that, she knew it would be a shock, but she never thought he would turn on her. She wasn't stupid, she knew he regretted what he had done but for the briefest of moments, for just a flicker of a second, he had wanted her dead. She had seen the sun gleaming off of his trident out of the corner of her eye and reacted out of instinct, if not for that, she would have had a trident in her back, the cannon would have gone off and the hovercraft would have come to take her body away. _He almost killed her_. Kailani let out a scream, she couldn't help it, she had too. She couldn't care less if it brought the other tributes to them, maybe they would put her out of her misery. That was the only thing she knew, pain, so much pain. It was like everything inside of her had become dark and empty, there was no light, no silver lining, nothing. Kailani took it all out on the tree, she didn't care that her hand was broken, that punching the hardened trunk only made it worse, she just knew that that pain was an easier pain to deal with than all of the rest.

"Hey!" yelled Johanna, trying to pull away, "Hey! That's enough!" She tugged her from the tree, and Kailani fell to the ground. But she didn't care, she didn't care about anything anymore. A broken sob escaped her, and that tightness in her chest was back again. She couldn't breathe. Johanna sighed, tiredly and slipped down against the tree, across from her. "I didn't think he would do that," she said.

Kailani shook her head, "I can't do this. Just tell them I lied, just tell them you found me dead or something-"

"No!" She was angry, Kailani didn't have to look at her to know that. "You're just going to fucking give up, really? If I can keep going, so can you. Don't forget, you still have other people out there. I don't. The only people I have left, are in here falling into their own separate deep depressions. Isn't it great?" Johanna sneered, bitterly.

It was a fair point, she supposed. She still had her mother, and even if she didn't want to make it out of here all that much, even if she would have rathered just laid down and died, Kailani at least wanted the others to get out. She could find it in herself to help them do that, and if it came down to it, if someone had to stay behind then she would gladly volunteer. Kailani sat up, and leaned against a tree. That didn't mean it hurt any less though, everything hurt, everything was still wrong. 

It was the cannon that brought them all together on the beach again, albeit unwillingly in the case of some it seemed. Cashmere watched as a hovercraft appeared over what they estimated to be the six-to-seven o' clock zone. The claw dipped down five different times to retrieve the pieces of one body. It had been completely torn about, it was impossible to tell who it was, but whatever happened there, she didn't ever want to know. Kailani stared over at the wedge, her face unreadable. She was worried about her, about what she was thinking. She didn't want to go near whatever beast lurked in that section of the jungle, but Kailani, she almost looked like she did. She eyed it with almost a curiosity, until she caught her staring. The tenseness in their camp was almost overwhelming as Peeta added to his map what they knew about the wedges. Kailani was keeping a good distance from everyone else, Finnick weaved yet another basket and a net for fishing, his emotions barely in check. He seemed torn before staring after Kailani, and staring at the ground in shame. Even her brother was unwilling to call him out for what he had done, for damn near killing Kailani in his anger, he was beating himself up enough about it. Besides, he just found out his girlfriend had been cheating on him, the woman who was without a doubt, the love of his life, whether he had yet realised it or not, had become a completely different person in the last few hours, was cold and uncaring, wanted to die all because of what he'd done. Finnick Odair was having the worst day of his life, there was no need for any of them to add on to that. The rest of them just, went about their routine, silently. It was when they were about to settle down for their meal of raw fish, when the anthem begun. The faces of those killed were projected into the sky. Wiress. The female from 5, she couldn't remember her name, it was Cathia or something like that. The morphling woman who gave her life for Peeta. Blight. The man from 10, Wyatt. And Chaff, he must have been the one the beast had killed. Six. That was six people killed. There was barely any of them left now, only Brutus and Enobaria. What was going to happen when they were dead too? It would just be the eight of them, assuming that Kailani didn't get herself killed between now and then. She had the feeling it wasn't about the last person standing this time around though, she and Gloss had had the same ideas, had seen what was going on. Everyone only seemed to care about protecting Katniss, and Peeta by extension. They had heard the rumours, they knew what she represented, she was the mockingjay, she was a symbol of rebellion. Is that what was going on here? Cashmere wasn't sure, and she definitely could not ask. They'd play along with it though, if there was a chance, just the slightest chance that this might end different, she would take it. Yes, District One tended to be ruthless, was focussed more on winning than anything else in the past, but it was bigger than just that now and Cashmere knew that if it came down to just them, Gloss would end his own life for her to live if he had too. She didn't want that, she didn't want to lose her brother.

A parachute floated down to them, a pile of bite-sized square-shaped rolls connected to it. "These are from your district, right, Beetee?" asked Peeta.

"Yes, from District Three," nodded Beetee, "How many are there?"

Finnick counted them, turning each one over in his hands before setting them out in a neat configuration. It was something he had done every time they were sent bread, he was pedantic about it. "Twenty-four," he said, quietly.

"An even two dozen, then?"

"Twenty-four on the nose. How should we divide them?"

"Three each, I suppose," said Cashmere. No one else seemed inclined to answer him, everything was still so awkward and uncomfortable.

They waited until the tidal wave flooded out the ten-to-eleven-o'clock section and the water receded, to make camp on the beach. Theoretically, we should have a full twelve hours of safety from the jungle. There was an unpleasant chorus of clicking coming from the eleven-to-twelve-o' clock wedge and Cashmere shuddered. She did not like bugs, not at all. Particularly not the ones that would undoubtedly attempt to kill her. However, whatever bugs were making that sound stayed within the confines of the jungle, and just in case, we kept off of that part of the beach. Peeta and Katniss offer to keep the first watch, and she wasn't one to complain. They were all exhausted, and any chance for sleep is one they have to take.

It was midnight when she started awake again, as the lightning struck the tree it had been every night. Kailani had her eyes open, Cashmere doubted she had ever gone to sleep and Finnick too had woken. He sat up, his back straight, his fingers digging into the sand tightly.

"I can't sleep anymore," he said, "One of you should rest." Cashmere turned her head, and noticed as he did, the position Katniss and Peeta were in. The way they were wrapped around each other, the expressions on their faces. "Or both of you. I can watch alone."

"It's too dangerous," said Peeta, "I'm not tired, I can-"

"No," interrupted Cashmere. She pushed herself up, brushing her long blonde hair out of her eyes. "It's okay, I'll do it. You need your sleep too."

Peeta looked about to argue, but she just shot him a sharp look. His mouth closed and instead, he nodded his head gratefully. He and Katniss wandered over to the others, and settled down on the ground together. Kailani had turned their back on them now, if Finnick noticed, he didn't say anything. Placing herself down against a tree close to him, she took a small sip of water and looked out at the beach. It was deceptively calm, almost tranquil under the light of the moon.

"Does it remind you of home?" she asked, finally. Cashmere didn't look at him, but she figured she didn't have too. They could have spent the night in silence, but there had been enough of that today.

He glanced at her, from the corner of his eye. "A little," he admitted. "It's a lot easier when we're not being attacked by poison fog, but it's not nearly as beautiful as home." Finnick frowned, and despite himself, despite that she wasn't even looking at him, she saw as he glanced back at Kailani. He probably knew she was awake, she was the lightest sleeper of all of them. Home for him, would never be the same.

"I didn't see much of it during my victory tour," said Cashmere, lightly. "Just the boring parts, I suspect."

Finnick smiled, slightly. "You should see it, its paradise. The water is sparkling and clear, the blue is like you would never believe. Even if it gets hot, the cool sea breeze makes it much more bearable. And you will always, be able to find a stretch of empty beachfront if you know where to go." He glanced at her, his face reminiscent. "Its _home_."

Cashmere nodded, understandingly. That was it, that was what made the different. She missed her home too, there was nothing like it. There was nothing that could ever, or would ever be like it.

It was home.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Last chapter! If you've stuck with it this far then you guys are the best humans in the universe. I uploaded these all at once, because I didn't want to forget to update. I'm a slow writer, I get so distracted by other stories that I at least make sure to finish one before I upload it. This is the first part, I am currently working on the second. I wouldn't expect it any time soon though. I have it planned out and everything, but like I said, I tend to get distracted. Once it is down though, I'll add it to the end of this one. Anyways, please enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 12:**

Kailani woke early the next morning. Well, that might have been a stretch. She never really went to sleep, she tried, but it hadn't happened. Finnick and Cashmere both glanced at her as she stood, silently. She refused to meet either of their gazes, simply picked up her spear and made for the water's edge. The sun had barely started to rise, as she searched out shellfish, and anything that could provide her with something useful to do. Being under the water, it was calming. If she closed her eyes, she thought she could have been anywhere else. And then someone dragged her to the surface, and Gloss raised an eyebrow. Kailani rolled her eyes, tugging herself from his grip.

"Didn't need saving this time," she muttered, annoyed. Everyone watched her so much more closely now, it was as if she was the symbol of this rebellion, it was ridiculous.

"You saying you weren't tempted to stay under there?" asked Gloss, unconvinced.

She growled. "Fuck off."

"Someone's in a bad mood." He ignored the murderous look she gave him, and picked up her spear, testing it in his grip. "You think I could get a fish with this?"

"No."

"That's not nice."

"A knife, maybe. A spear, absolutely not."

Gloss shrugged, he couldn't argue with that, he was useless with a spear. He tossed it aside, and eyed her, thoughtfully. "Why do you look prettier than the rest of us right now?"

Kailani knew what he meant, at least she hoped she did. "The scabs from the poison have healed enough now to be scrubbed off." She nodded over to the sand, "Use that, it'll make it easier. And while you're at it, I'll leave it to you, to tell the others." Kailani brushed past him, picked up her spear and scooped up the shellfish. Without a word, she dropped her haul in front of Johanna, and plopped down under the shade of the trees. The higher the sun got, the more the temperature increased. Finnick and Cashmere washed themselves clean after Gloss had informed them of her discovery and as more bread arrived, the same amount as yesterday, Katniss and Peeta went down to the water to do the same. They were talking about something, that much was clear, but it didn't concern any of them all the much. They had bigger issues to deal with, and Beetee had a plan. It was all to kill Brutus and Enobaria, or so he had said. Kailani suspected an ulterior motive, actually she knew there was. This was about the arena. With their numbers, there was no way they needed to go to such extravagant lengths to kill the victors from District Two. They were good, but they weren't that good. The wire, the lightning tree, it was all so that they could destroy this place. Everything all seemed to blur by as they made their plans, Kailani knew what she had too, she didn't listen to the rest. The dense, humid air was smothering, as they left camp to make for the tree. She was tired, she was a little dizzy, that was what she got for not eating much. Maybe if she collapsed though, they'd leave her behind. However, Kailani doubted it, someone would probably just be forced to carry her, not that she would encourage it. Beetee fussed for a while, examined the lightning tree as everyone else divided duties. At what must have been eleven o' clock, the sound of clicking started up again in the sector adjacent. It was far louder now, that it was on the beach the night before. Cashmere glanced warily into the jungle, as the rest, listened intently.

"It's not mechanical," said Beetee, decidedly.

"I'd guess insects," said Katniss, "Maybe beetles."

"Something with pincers," added Finnick.

The sound swelled, as if alerted by their quiet words, and the proximity of live flesh. The louder they got, the more uncomfortable Cashmere began to look.

"We should get out of here, anyway," she said, "There's less than an hour before the lightning starts."

Not that they go all that far, just to the sector over, to the blood-rain section. It was all rather relaxed, actually. They set up next to the identical tree in their wedge, ate the food that Katniss and the others had hunted. The lightning struck like clockwork at noon, and then they circled back to the ten o' clock beach. It was smooth and damp, swept clean by the recent wave and as Beetee worked with his wire, they all went about their own devices. Napping, eating, swimming, it was all so normal. But it wasn't, it would never be.

The anthem began, as it always did, but there were no faces in the sky that night. The audience would be getting restless, thirsting for more blood. They were probably avidly awaiting the moment their little alliance, broke up. The promise of Beetee's trap, kept the Gamemakers from sending out other attacks, but that was only a temporary respite. The shells from their seafood feast earlier that evening, lay strewn around the camp as they made for the lightning tree once more. It was roughly nine o' clock, from what Katniss and Finnick could tell and the walk uphill was particularly brutal, given how full she was. The last dozen oysters she had scoffed down might have been a mistake.

Beetee asked Gloss and Finnick to assist him, as the rest of them, stood guard. Before he even attached any wire to the tree, Beetee unrolled metres and metres of the stuff. He had Finnick secure it tightly around a broken branch and lay it on the ground, before he and Gloss stood either side of the tree, passing the spool back and forth as they wrapped the wire around the trunk. The intricate wire work on the tree was completed just as they heard the wave begin. That was when Beetee revealed the rest of his plan. Since they moved the swiftest through the trees, he wanted her, Johanna and Kailani to take the coil down through the jungle, unwinding the wire as they went. They didn't need three, but Kailani would act as an extra guard should Brutus and Enobaria attack. The three of them were to lay the wire across the twelve o' clock beach and then drop the metal spool, with whatever was left, deep into the water, making sure it sunk. After that, they just had to run. If they left now, at that very second, they _should_ make it back to safety. At least, that was the plan.

"I want to go with them as a guard," said Peeta, immediately, "Kailani has a broken hand, she-"

"She is perfectly capable of wielding her weapon," interrupted Kailani, harshly. He winced slightly, at her tone and Katniss might have told her to ease up if not for the day she had had yesterday, and for the fact that Kailani might have turned on her had she said anything. Finnick stared at the ground forlornly, she supposed Kailani wouldn't normally have been like this, she would have been calmer, more kind and more gentle, if not for him.

Beetee intervened. "Besides, you're too slow. I need you on this end," he said, "There's no time to debate this. I'm sorry, but if the girls are to get out of there alive, they need to move now." He handed the coil to Johanna.

Katniss didn't like this anymore than Peeta did, she would have much preferred staying near him, making sure that above all else, he stayed alive. But Beetee was right, and if she trusted anyone aside from Peeta, it was Beetee.

"It's okay," said Katniss, "We'll just drop the coil and come straight back up."

"Not into the lightning zone," reminded Beetee, "Head for the tree in the one-to-two-o' clock sector. If you find you're running out of time, move over one more. Don't even think about going back on the beach, though, until I can assess the damage."

Ignoring the fact that everyone else was there, that everyone stared at them, she took Peeta's face in her hands. "Don't worry. I'll see you at midnight." She kissed him, lightly, and before he could object any further, she pulled back and turned to Johanna and Kailani. "Ready?"

"Why not?" said Johanna, with a shrug.

"Kailani you wanna take lead? Johanna can guard the rear and I'll unwind. We can trade off later."

Kailani nodded, and without further discussion, the three of them headed down the slope. There was very little discussion in fact, as they worked. They moved well, made good time as one manned the coil, and two kept watch and then the clicking started up. That meant it was just past eleven.

"Better hurry," said Johanna, "I want to put a lot of distance between me and that water before the lightning hits, just in case Volts miscalculated something."

"I'll take the coil for a while," said Katniss.

"Here." She passed it over and that was when it happened. Both of their hands were still on the metal cylinder as it vibrated slightly and suddenly, the thin golden wire sprung down at them, bunching in tangled loops and curling around their wrists. Kailani turned away from the jungle, to glance back at them. Then, the severed end snaked up to their feet. It only took a second to register the rapid turn of events. They all exchanged looks, but none of them said the words out loud. Someone not far above them had cut the wire, and they would be on them at any moment. Katniss had just got a hand to one of her arrows, when the metal cylinder smashed into the side of her head. All she knew after that, was that she was lying on her back on the vines, a terrible pain at her left temple.

"Hurry," hissed Kailani.

Katniss had no idea what was going on, and there was something wrong with her eyes. Her vision blurred in and out of focus, and she strained to make the two moons that floated in the sky above her, go back to one. There was a weight on her chest, and Katniss realised that Johanna was on top of her, pinning her at the shoulders with her knees. There was a stab at her left forearm, and she tried to jerk away but she was still too incapacitated. Something sharp, a knife probably, dug into her flesh and twisted. An excruciating pain ripped through her and a warmth ran down her wrist. Johanna swiped down her arm, and coated half of her face with blood, _her own_.

"Stay down," she growled. Her weight disappeared, and just like that, she was alone. Everything spun around her, she was disorientated, confused and losing a lot of blood. However, Katniss did know one thing, Johanna had betrayed her, attacked her, Kailani too by the sounds. Did that mean Finnick had joined them as well? Did they have their own alliance going? As angry and uncomfortable as they were at each other, Finnick wouldn't leave Kailani, not again. Katniss could hear footsteps, two pairs. They were heavy against the jungle floor, not trying to conceal their whereabouts.

It was Brutus that she heard. "She's as good as dead! Come on, Enobaria!" They moved away, they didn't even check to make sure.

She drifted in and out of unconsciousness. Was she really that bad? Perhaps, it was hard to tell, she knew she was losing a lot of blood, that was for sure. If Johanna, Kailani and Finnick had turned on them, what about the others? Had Gloss and Cashmere been in on this as well, it wouldn't have surprised. What about Beetee? Him, she couldn't be sure about. Katniss was fair game now, her and Peeta. Her eyes flew open, and she panicked. Peeta was still there, Peeta was with them. What if they had all turned, what if the wire being cut was a signal? Her heart leapt into her throat, and somehow, she managed to find the strength to rise to her feet. She had to find him, she could not let him die. He was the one who was meant to survive all this.

He didn't know the exact plan, all Gloss knew was that it wasn't what they had discussed. They went with it though, he remembered the look Kailani gave him the last night they had been together, and he could see the look Finnick was giving him and Cashmere now. Trust them, go with this, it was for the better. They had had a different plan from the beginning and that had become clearer and clearer as the days passed. He knew these people, he knew what they were capable of, and they were capable _of anything_. Even outsmarting the President, the Gamemakers, the Capitol. They could do it all, if they just worked together. And that was what they were doing, it was what they had been doing since the very start and always, it revolved around Katniss. Peeta held no such trust in them though, as soon as Finnick cut the wire leading out to the beach, he had become confused, reluctant to listen to them. Beetee had insisted that it was a part of the plan, but he wouldn't listen, he went off in search of Katniss, of his love. No one followed him, they had bigger things to concern themselves with. Finnick pulled out a knife, and dug it into his arm. The tracker, he was pulling it out. So, there had been a bigger plan. Gloss exchanged looks with his sister and right there and then, they made the decision to follow their lead. They had followed them this far, and if they were removing the trackers, it was a good sign that they intended for more than one of them to survive that night. Beetee was already pulling the small piece of electronics out, as Gloss and Cashmere, did the same.

"Go, find Katniss," said Beetee, and Finnick nodded. He didn't need telling twice. He followed the cut wire, and Gloss wasn't sure what had compelled him to do it, but he went with him.

"Stay with him," he called back to Cashmere, glancing at Beetee who had turned his attention to the tree once more. She probably would have argued with him had he not left before she had had the chance. Beetee was important in all of this, someone needed to be there to protect him, just in case.

"Kailani!" Of course it was her name that Finnick yelled after first. His mission, his task, whatever it was, may have been to find Katniss, but Gloss wondered that if he had too, who he would choose. "Johanna! Katniss!" Finnick had only one thing on his mind, and that was finding their girls. There was no time to be quiet, and he drew more attention to them than anything in this forest ever could have done. It left Gloss feeling on edge, feeling tense. There were still two out there, and they were close by, he knew it, they all did. And as expected, they were found. Finnick didn't even have time to defend himself as Brutus flew from between the trees, knife drawn and aiming for him. Gloss cut him off, tackling the large man to the ground. Brutus may have been bigger, but he was stronger. Finnick hesitated, his eyes wide in shock. They were hardly the best of friends, and the confidence in their loyalty had probably been minimal. Gloss almost rolled his eyes.

"Go!" he roared, twisting Brutus' arm until he heard a distinct crack. He met Finnick's gaze, "And if you get the chance, make sure my sister is safe."

His face hardened, and Finnick nodded. He bounded off into the jungle and Gloss pulled out a knife, in one swift movement. He would be stupid to mess around, he had to end this. Brutus let out a guttural noise from the back of his throat, and fought against him but it was no use, he was in the prime position. He didn't pause, he didn't hesitate, Gloss just sliced his knife across his neck.

The cannon sounded, and Finnick didn't even bother looking back. Gloss would have finished off Brutus, there was no doubt in his mind about that. He had the upper hand, he wouldn't have let that go. Katniss was his main concern and she could have been anywhere. God knows where she had wandered off to after Johanna had taken the tracker out of her arm, after she had thought she had been attacked. That was when he heard them, Katniss and Peeta, calling for each other above him. They were near the tree, near where Beetee and Cashmere were. He was exhausted, he was losing blood from his arm but with everything he had, he sprinted back up the hill, to the lightning tree. However, he wasn't the only one. Enobaria arrived too, Kailani just a few steps behind her.

"Katniss!" howled Peeta.

But this time, there was no answer. She must have been close, then. He caught a flash of blonde, a little further above them and then he saw her, Katniss. She stood up and pulled back her arrow except it wasn't pointed at them, it was pointed upwards, at the force field, at the spot where it wavered. She let go, and the arrow sailed through the force field without a hitch. Then, the lightning struck. The wire flashed white and for just a moment, the dome burst into a dazzling blue light. It was bright, too bright, he had turn away. That was when the real chaos began, just like that everything around them began to explode. He was thrown back by a blast at his feet, and Finnick slammed hard against the ground. Everything around them was exploding, all of it, everything in the arena. He looked over and there was Kailani, crumpled against a tree, her hand clutched tightly against her. That was all the motivation he needed, all he focussed on. He stumbled forwards, and despite her protests, dragged her to her feet. He was not going to leave her here, that was not an option. Finnick saw the hovercraft, saw the claw drop down and pick up Katniss, and he moved faster, pulling Kailani up the last small hill where he saw Cashmere, crouched down next to an unconscious Beetee.

Her blue eyes widened, "What-?"

Finnick shook his head, "There's no time." A ladder dropped down, and the face of Plutarch Heavensbee, the Head Gamemaker, their inside man in all of this, looked down at them. He wouldn't be able to keep this down there for them long, not now they had Katniss. They were on a tight schedule. Finnick pulled Cashmere up and nudged her towards the ladder, "Go, quickly." Her eyes glanced around, searching for her brother no doubt. But if they weren't here now, then they weren't going to be able to make it here on time. As much as it pained him, as much as he would have preferred to have waited and get all of them on board, they couldn't. They knew the risks they had taken by agreeing to this. They would have to be left behind. Gloss, Johanna, Enobaria, _even Peeta_. The claw dropped down to pick up Beetee, and Finnick shoved Cashmere along slightly, encouraging her to move. She did, albeit unwillingly. Finnick forced Kailani onto the ladder, forced her to grab on, and he took one last glance around. He could see Enobaria, but she was unconscious. And then, Cashmere gasped.

"Gloss!" she screamed.

He was there, but he wasn't moving. He knew he couldn't make it, he managed a smile for his sister and then turned his gaze to him, pointedly. It was his job to make sure that she got out of her safely, that his sister got out safely. Gloss had saved his life, and he owed him that. Finnick hopped onto the ladder, just as it started to move away, and put a hand on Cashmere, to keep her from doing anything foolish. Not that she could have, electricity flowed through the ladder and they were all frozen in their places. Pain crossed her face, and she turned away as they started to be pulled up. Finnick turned his attention to Kailani, her form stiff against the ladder. It was slow going and he watched her like a hawk, in case she slipped, in case something happened but it didn't. They all made it onto the hovercraft, and an uncomfortable silence fell over them. Beetee was nowhere to be found, neither was Katniss, all that waited for them were the sombre faces of Haymitch and Plutarch.

"Couldn't get Peeta then?" asked Haymitch.

"Is he here?" spat Kailani.

Finnick shook his head, "No," he said, "He didn't stick to the plan."

Cashmere glared at them all, "_What is going on?_" She wanted a proper explanation now. She had lost her brother, she had followed them without really knowing, she was tired, it was only fair.

Plutarch Heavensbee looked at the three of them coolly, "How about we sit down?"

Something was off, and Kailani was very much aware of that as she stared at the two men before her.

"Where's my mother?" she asked.

Finnick glanced at her, but she ignored him adamantly. Haymitch met her accusing gaze, a frown on his face. "Asher was meant to help her get to the roof-"

"I'm aware of what the plan was, _where is she_?"

Kailani tried to keep herself from shaking, did everything she could to keep her face clean of emotion. But if she wasn't here, then there were only two things that could have happened and she hoped, beyond all hopes, that that thing had been death because the alternative would be so much worse. "I'm sorry, Kailani. Your mother was taken by the Capitol."

She bit back a whimper and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. This wasn't the plan, this had never been the plan. She was _eighty-two_, she wouldn't survive being tortured, she would die in the worst way possible. The screams of the jabberjays came back to mind, and Kailani felt like she was going to be sick. "You bastards," she said, finally. "You _told me_, you would keep her safe."

"We had to prioritise," said Haymitch, "Like you did, remember. Peeta has been taken as well, and Johanna and-"

Kailani had had enough, she launched herself at him with a furious scream. She knew very well who had been taken, who would suffer because they were unlucky, she didn't need a reminder. Haymitch was shoved roughly into the wall of the hovercraft, and suddenly someone was pulling her away. "Kailani, Kailani stop," begged Finnick, burying his head against her shoulder. She struggled against him, but he was stronger than her. His arms held her tightly and she considered giving in to him, just letting go but _then she remembered the beach_. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she held them at bay. This was when she had needed her mother most, her mother and Finnick, but they were both lost to her now. She tore herself from his grip, and glared at him.

"Don't touch me."

He winced, the hurt and pain clear on his face, but she didn't care, not anymore. They could do what they want, she couldn't stand here with them and pretend that everything was okay. Kailani stalked away, moved further into the depths of the hovercraft. She didn't expect Cashmere to follow after her, not when she wanted answers. Kailani was not in a talking mood, she would get nothing from her.

"You should go back to Heavensbee," she said, her voice hoarse from all of the screaming. "He'll explain everything, I can't-"

"Are you alright?" asked Cashmere, suddenly.

Kailani raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

She sighed, "No." A young man, dressed in black cargo pants, and a black jacket approached them, nervously and they looked at him. He shifted, and without meeting their eyes, held out a pile of clothes. It wasn't much, but it was something. Cashmere took them with a nod, "Thank you," she said. He scampered off, and Kailani took a jacket and a pair of track pants from the pile.

"You know, I would have included everyone given the chance, knowing we could trust them," said Kailani, quietly.

Cashmere nodded, "For this to work, I suppose it would always have been a risk to inform my brother and I of this." Her voice was resigned. "It was all for _her _wasn't it, for Katniss?"

"This is it, this is when our rebellion starts and she is the symbol of all of that. We had to get her out of there above all else." Kailani still wanted to leave, wanted to go hide in some dark corner and just _stay there_. But now wasn't really the time for her to break down, there wasn't enough privacy for that. She was glad, then, that Cashmere had taken it upon herself to follow her. Maybe she had just needed that company, maybe she just didn't feel like being alone but whatever the reason, it was a good distraction. "The districts will be rising up now, making their plans. Come on, we'll get changed and find out what the hell is going on."

And as it turned out, there was a lot going on. The five of them had gathered in a conference room of sorts, Finnick leaned against a wall, Kailani and Cashmere sat at one end of the table, while Plutarch sat at the other, Haymitch hovering behind him. There were uprisings going on everywhere, in every district. She had said it from the start, forcing the victors into the Games again was taking it too far. These were their heroes, the people who had come back home, who had fought and survived, and now that they had escaped, everyone else was going to fight too.

"Communications are down in Seven, Ten and Twelve," said Plutarch. "But Eleven has control of transportation now, so there's at least a hope of them getting some food out."

"We need to go home," said Cashmere. They'd explained it all to her now, every detail. "We need to help lead our people, they can't do it themselves."

"No, I'm sorry. There's no way I can get you anywhere near One or Four, for that matter."

It pained her to even think about her name after everything that had happened, but someone had to do it. She was an idiot, a fool, someone she'd quite like to slap but she wouldn't be able to do that if she was dead. "What about Annie?" Finnick's head snapped to her so fast, she was almost worried he had hurt himself. Kailani didn't meet his questioning gaze though. "Someone needs to get her out of there, _despite_ what happened-" She scowled. "They'll still want to use her."

"I've already given special orders for her to be retrieved, that's all I can do."

Kailani shook her head. "That's not enough. She won't survive a day, they'll kill her-"

"They'll keep her alive as long as you two are still alive," said Haymitch. "You're right, they'll still want to use her. They know what's going on now but they also know that you still volunteered for her. As long as you keep yourselves from getting killed, they'll use her as bait," said Haymitch. Suddenly, Katniss burst through the doors. Her hair was strewn everywhere, her eyes narrowed, dangerously. Haymitch wasn't all that concerned by it. "Done knocking yourself out, sweetheart?" he asked, the annoyance clear in his voice. Katniss careened forwards and he caught her wrists, smoothly, steadying her. They were all very aware that there was a syringe in her hand. He stared at her, incredulously. "So it's you and a syringe against the Capitol? See, this is why no one lets you make the plans." Katniss stared at him, uncomprehendingly. "Drop it." She does, and Haymitch guides her to a chair, settling her down in it.

Plutarch placed a bowl of both in front of her, a roll and slipped a spoon into her hand. "Eat," he said, kindly.

She didn't. Then again, none of them had. They all had food, and none of it had been touched. Haymitch launched into yet another explanation, and Kailani tuned out. She stared out the window, almost numbly. It was all the same stuff, how there had been a plan to break them all out of the arena from the moment the Quell had been announced, how the victors from 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 11 had all been aware of it in some degree. It was Plutarch that had been responsible for ensuring the wire was included in the weapons, and Beetee had the job of destroying the force field. He explained how the bread was a code for the time of the rescue. The district where the bread originated indicated the day, and the number of rolls the hour and then he paused, stopped to see if Katniss was following.

"You didn't tell me," said Katniss, raggedly.

"Neither you nor Peeta were told. We couldn't risk it," said Plutarch, "I was even worried you might mention my discretion with the watch during the Games." He pulled out his pocket watch and ran a thumb across the crystal, lighting up the mockingjay. "Of course, when I showed you this, I was merely tipping you off about the arena. As a mentor. I thought it might be a first step towards gaining your trust. I never dreamed you'd be a tribute again."

She shook her head. "I still don't understand why Peeta and I weren't let in on the plan."

"Because once the force field blew, you'd be the first ones they'd try to capture, and the less you knew, the better," said Haymitch.

"The first ones? Why?"

"For the reason the rest of us agreed to die to keep you alive," said Finnick.

"No, Johanna tried to kill me," argued Katniss.

Kailani unwillingly turned back to the conversation at hand. "Johanna knocked you out to the cut the tracker from your arm," she said, "We lead Brutus and Enobaria away from you."

"What? I don't know what you're-"

"We had to save you because you're the mockingjay, Katniss," said Plutarch, "While you live, the revolution lives."

And it was as simple as that, it had always been as simple as that. The understanding began to filter across her face. Everything they had done for her, all that had happened. "Peeta," she whispered.

"The others kept Peeta alive because if he died, we knew there'd be no keeping you in an alliance," said Haymitch, "And we couldn't risk leaving you unprotected." His words were matter of fact, his expression unchanged, but not even he could hide the tinge of grey that coloured his face.

"Where is Peeta?" she hissed, angrily.

"He was picked up by the Capitol, along with Gloss, Johanna and Enobaria," he said. His gaze dropped to the ground. No one was surprised when Katniss lunged at him once more, she was unarmed but that didn't make her any less dangerous, especially with Peeta having been taken. She clawed viciously at his face, drawing blood and Kailani watched with a cool sense of amusement, as they began to yell at each other. Yell and curse and scream. Finnick rushed forward to pull her away, and Cashmere rolled her eyes, turning her head to the ceiling as if it was the most important thing in the world. It seemed she too wasn't in a particularly helpful mood, she had her Capitol face on, the polite and distant one that Kailani knew well. They'd both lost people, it was the easiest way to deal with all of this. Finnick managed to drag Katniss away, and she just caught a glimpse of the girl being sedated again. She wished she had had that option, sleeping through it dreamlessly would have been like heaven, but she didn't, not unless she caused a scene again and Kailani just didn't have the energy for that. She wished more than anything that this would be done with, that this would all be over, but it was just the beginning. They headed towards District 13, the one district independent from the Capitol, the one place they could hide, and there would be no leaving it until the rebellion had been won. It was either that, or they were all killed process.

This was it, this was their last chance for a better society, for a better way of life. She could find it within herself to help with that, to make sure no more children had to go into the Hunger Games, that no more parents had to watch as they were killed on live television, that they weren't all living this ridiculous façade controlled by the Capitol. Thoughts of her mother drifted into her head again, and she pushed them away. It still wasn't the time, she would deal with that when she was alone, when she was sure she wouldn't have to deal with anyone else. Kailani focused on one thing, and one thing only and that was the rebellion.

It was all she could do to keep herself distracted.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- IMPORTANT. I did say that I probably wouldn't update for ages, that was why I posted all of the first part at once, because I'd waited until I'd finished. I now realised I should have waited until it was ALL finished. I have this terrible habit of getting distracted, whether it be by a book or a movie or another story. I know myself well enough to know that it will always happen but since I kept getting notifications of favourites and follows (thanks by the way, it's awesome) I started to feel bad. I still had this chapter sitting and waiting for me to write more, so I thought I'd be nice and post it. HOWEVER, I haven't written anymore beyond this. I'M SORRY, I AM THE WORST HUMAN. This chapter can serve as a teaser until the rest is done, but when it is I'll post it all and that'll be a lot of reading fun for you guys. Until then, thanks for reading and being fabulous! Xx**

**PART II**

**CHAPTER 1:**

A month. That was how long it had been since they'd escaped the arena, since a war had broken out, since District Twelve had been bombed and destroyed. It had been a month of living underground, of just trying to last another day. Any above ground structure in the district had long since been destroyed by the Capitol. They'd thought the place had been obliterated during the Dark Days, during the last rebellion between the Capitol and the districts, but turned out they had survived all along. It was all a part of a deal that had been struck, Thirteen wouldn't destroy the Capitol with their supply of nuclear weapons, and they would be left alone. They had had no choice but to accept the deal, and all access to the outside was cut off. Perhaps the Capitol leaders had thought that Thirteen would die off on its own, and they almost did a few times, but the people here were resilient, they held on. The citizens lived almost exclusively underground now, you could go outside for exercise and sunlight but only at very specific times. Kailani hated it, then again, she hated most things these days. She threw herself into the rebellion, into the training, into all of that. It was all she could do to keep herself going, she'd be as bad as Finnick if she stopped, if she let her emotions consume her.

They hadn't talked once since their first night in the underground facility. She doubted it was intentional, keeping them together, but the remaining victors all had rooms on the same level. Finnick had made the mistake of trying to speak to her again, she supposed it was habit. All it had led to though was a fight, one that she was sure the entire level had heard. She couldn't accept his apology though, she couldn't let him comfort her because every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was his trident coming towards her in slow motion, aimed directly to kill. It was too familiar, too much like when her partner had tried to kill her in her own games. He yelled, she yelled, it ended when the guards separated them. Finnick hadn't been the same since then, not that she paid him too much attention. She ignored him as best she could but sometimes, he would be there and she couldn't help taking in his condition, especially when Cashmere was at her ear giving her updates she didn't want. They said, he was depressed. He had no energy, no drive, he was constantly down and could barely stay awake. The medics labelled him unfit for duty, he didn't attend training, nor any other kind of war related meetings unless they specifically wanted the opinions of the victors and even then, he was about as helpful as Katniss.

Their mockingjay, the symbol of the rebellion, she may as well have been catatonic. She ignored the schedules they were expected to imprint on their arms, she barely obeyed the rules, all she did was hide away from the responsibilities that had been pushed upon her. She had lost too much to have that kind of drive, to have that fire that was supposed to lead them to victory. Her home had been destroyed and Peeta had been taken by the Capitol. There had been no word on him, or any one of the other hostages. There had been nothing, they could have been dead, or more likely they were being tortured for information and that weighed heavily on all of them. Kailani tried not to think about it too often though, it haunted her enough at night. She couldn't sleep without help anymore, it was impossible, it was too hard with the nightmares. They prescribed her pills whenever she needed them, as long as she functioned when she was supposed too then that was enough for them, they couldn't lose anymore victors. Kailani and Cashmere had put in the most effort to this rebellion, they were the face throughout the districts while Katniss recovered. They went out often on missions, to help hold territory gained, to help fight off the Capitol and their Peacekeepers. They did their duty, and stepped up. It was no different from what they usually did, really. Since they had won the Games, there had always been things expected of them, they always had to put on some kind of mask and they did that now. It was easier being out in the field than holed up in Thirteen somewhere, left only with their thoughts.

Beetee too had his own role to play, as soon as he had recovered enough from his injuries they had put him straight into weapons development. They were rather impatient in that regard actually, they rolled his hospital bed straight down to Special Defence once they deemed him well enough. Kailani could see what was happening, it was no better in Thirteen than the Capitol, as usual they used the victors to do their own bidding. After all, why not? They were the most talented, they were the ones that had won, that had survived, that the people adored. Coin saw that, of course she did, their almighty leader. Neither she nor Cashmere were all the fond of the woman, but she lead the rebellion, they had no choice but to listen, to obey orders, right down to the clothes they wore. That was the thing about Thirteen, it was all very strict and uniform, it had to be for them to survive. They all wore the same dull, grey clothes, your every move from eating to bathing, was scheduled and wasting _anything_, was practically a capital offence. She had to admit though, Kailani didn't always adhere to the schedule. The training and meetings she did, but sometimes, some of the other stuff, when she was feeling particularly moody, she would skip out on. She wasn't perfect, and she wasn't a member of District Thirteen. She was from Four, from the beaches, and the sun, as far as she was concerned she was allowed a little down time when she needed it. This however, was not one of those times. Nothing gave her more of a headache than having to listen to Coin for hours at a time, what she wouldn't give to be by the sea just for a few moments, to breathe in the salt air, to feel the water at her feet.

"Soldier Allyn," snapped Coin, harshly.

Kailani reluctantly pulled her mind back to reality, away from distant daydreams and raised her eyes to face their leader. "Yes?"

"I'd appreciate it if we had your full attention during this time." Her voice was cool, and held a certain edge to it. But Kailani wasn't bothered, this woman didn't intimidate her.

She smiled, calmly. "My apologies."

It wasn't like the information she gave was anything new, just the usual updates. The districts continued to fight for control over the Capitol, and Thirteen continued to lend their assistance where they could. It was strange though, there had been very little new information in the past few days, it was as if the fighting had paused, as if both sides were taking a breather. Something was bound to happen soon though, it always did. It was the calm before the storm and everyone seemed to be very much aware of that fact. Coin released them all to their next scheduled tasks and with Cashmere, Kailani wandered down to Special Defence. Beetee had been creating new weapons for them both, and finally, it was time to test them.

"I can't believe they let Katniss go to Twelve," said Cashmere, incredulously. She scanned the sensor, and the elevator took them further beneath the ground.

It _had_ been a surprise, that was the one thing that had caught Kailani's attention throughout the meeting but indeed, they had let Katniss return to the burnt remnants of her home. She'd wanted to see it ever since they had arrived, it was the one thing she actually _wanted _to do but up until now, they'd refused. It was too dangerous, it cost too much money and it was a waste of resources. "Well, she asked for it every time they spoke to her. It was about time they gave in," said Kailani, with a shrug, "What I don't believe is that they didn't tell us until today, she's there now you'd think they would want us there keeping an eye on her. Better us than some idiots she doesn't even know." She never held that much faith in the soldiers of Thirteen. They were trained well, could fight, but they were all so serious, there was no personality to them. Not that she was up for socialising but still, it was enough to do her head in at times. She expected the feeling was mutual though, she felt the looks burn into her as she trained, as she walked into Command, it was never ending.

"To be fair, she barely knows us and I assume that friend of hers went with her, the good looking one."

"Gale Hawthorne," she supplied.

Cashmere nodded, "Yes, him. How is it she always gets the men? What does she do, scowl at them and they all turn into mushy puddles?"

Kailani smirked slightly. It wouldn't have surprised her if that was an accurate description of what happened, she certainly didn't take her to be the flirting type. "Now, now Cash. You sound jealous."

She scoffed. "Please, as if I could be jealous of _her_, she's not all that special."

"No, she's only the Mockingjay, the leader of this rebellion, the person they'll all turn too."

"Until then it'll just be down to us," sneered Cashmere.

Kailani couldn't argue with that. While Katniss wallowed in her misery, they worked tirelessly for the cause. They broke down too, they just did it at more appropriate times of the day. Yet, she would get all the credit once she decided to step up, and she would step up, she would take her rightful place, it was inevitable. Everyone else doubted it, but Kailani didn't. All it would take was one thing, one thing to set her off, one spark to set everything alight with flames.

Beetee handed them each their preferred weapons, Kailani a lethal looking spear and Cashmere an entire row of knives. It was amazing the kind of modifications that he had started adding to them, though, they were still a work in progress. With every slash made, and every target hit, Beetee took down a series of notes. He had yet to perfect them, this was all just a trial. They were there for the rest of the day before the pair reluctantly gave back what wasn't perfected yet, and headed up for dinner. Normally, Kailani preferred not to attend, it was easier to avoid the food that way. She didn't eat all that much these days, just what she needed to survive, the absolute bare minimum. Cashmere had given up scolding her on it, she knew it would make no difference. However, she was saved the effort when simultaneously, their communicuffs went off. They were wanted in Command yet again. Kailani groaned, loudly. As if they hadn't been there for long enough today as it was.

"Seriously?" she grumbled.

"Something must have happened," said Cashmere, "This wasn't scheduled."

It quickly became clear why they were called though, the moment they stepped into the high-tech room. The Capitol broadcast channel was constantly monitored, usually it just had the occasional update, some propaganda, an ominous message from Snow to the rebels but this time, it held something different. Caesar Flickerman, the perpetual host of the Hunger Games was being broadcast on the screen, and Kailani's stomach sunk. This was different, and to have them all called here, did not bode well. Everyone, had gathered around, and Kailani and Cashmere had to shove their way to the front to get a good view. Katniss was there too, Gale next to her. She looked as if she'd rather be anywhere else, but her reason, their reason for being there all became crystal clear as the camera pulled back, and they saw who Caesar was to be interviewing that evening, who his guest would be. It was Peeta.

An odd noise escaped Katniss, something between a gasp and a groan. Her eyes were wide, fixed only on him as she ignored everyone else and approached the screen, placed a hand to the flickering monitor. He looked… fine. They had all been worried about their friends, about their family that had been taken, about what was being done to them but Peeta, he looked perfectly fine, if not better. He appeared healthy, his skin was flawless and glowed in that full-body-polish kind of way. There was no sign of injury or hurt, he didn't look as if he had been tortured at all, he didn't even look like he'd missed an hour of sleep. His manner was composed and serious as Caesar settled himself more comfortably in his chair and gave him a long look. "So… Peeta… welcome back," he said.

Peeta smiled slightly, "I bet you thought you'd done your last interview with me, Caesar."

"I confess, I did," said Caesar, "The night before the Quarter Quell… well, who ever thought we'd see you again?"

"It wasn't part of my plan, that's for sure," said Peeta, with a frown.

It hadn't been a part of anyone's plans, he was supposed to be in Thirteen, keeping Katniss grounded. They should have put more of a focus on him, Kailani realised that now.

Caesar leaned in to him a little. "I think it was clear to all of us what your plan was. To sacrifice yourself in the arena so that Katniss Everdeen and your child could survive."

"That was it. Clear and simple." Peeta's fingers traced the upholstered pattern on the arm of the chair. "But other people had plans as well."

Kailani and Cashmere kept their faces carefully neutral, glancing at each other only once. That was them. Well, it was more her than anyone else. Cashmere and Gloss had had no idea of the plan, they too had been left out. Kailani was glad she'd let them in on it though, at least vaguely. They would be dead otherwise, and there were already enough people on that list. Katniss didn't look back to face them though, her attention remained solely on Peeta. She wondered if they'd told them all of what had happened, what had transpired. If Snow had kept quiet on it, she was sure that he had managed to figure out parts of what had happened. It was obvious, really. _Make sure Katniss got out of that arena safe_.

"Why don't you tell us about that last night in the arena?" suggested Caesar, "Help us sort a few things out."

Peeta nodded, and took a deep breath. "That last night… to tell you about that last night… well, first of all, you have to imagine how it felt in the arena. It was like being an insect trapped under a bowl filled with steaming air. And all around you, jungle… green and alive and ticking. That giant clock ticking away your life. Every hour promising some new horror. You have to imagine that in the past two days, fourteen people have died- some of them defending you. At the rate things are going, the last ten will be dead by morning. Save one. The victor. And your plan is that it won't be you."

At least, in these Games it was. They entered with friends and family, these were all people they'd known for a long time. If she had to have chosen, if they hadn't of been broken out, Kailani knew full well who she would have made sure got out of there, and it definitely wouldn't have been herself.

"Once you're in the arena, the rest of the world becomes very distant," continued Peeta, "All the people and things you loved or cared about almost cease to exist. The pink sky and the monsters in the jungle and the tributes who want your blood become your final reality, the only one that ever mattered. As bad as it makes you feel, you're going to have to do some killing, because in the arena, you only get one wish. And it's very costly."

"It costs your life," said Caesar.

"Oh no. It costs more than your life. To murder innocent people?" said Peeta, "It costs everything you are."

"_Everything you are,_" repeated Caesar, quietly.

A hush had fallen over the room, probably over the entire country. No one had spoken about the Games like this before, described what it was like so accurately. Victors had always played up to their celebrity status, done what they had had to do to keep themselves and all those they loved alive. They tried not to let everyone else see how much killing the other children, had killed them too.

Peeta wasn't finished either. "So you hold on to your wish," he said, "And that last night, yes, my wish was to save Katniss. But even without knowing about the rebels, it didn't feel right. Everything was too complicated. I found myself regretting I hadn't run off with her earlier in the day, as she had suggested. But there was no getting out of it at that point."

"You were too caught up in Beetee's plan to electrify the salt lake," said Caesar.

"Too busy playing allies with the others. I should have never let them separate us!" Peeta burst out. "That's when I lost her."

"When you stayed at the lightning tree, and she, Johanna Mason and Kailani Allyn took the coil of wire down to the water," Caesar clarified.

"I didn't want to!" Peeta flushed in agitation. "But I couldn't argue with Beetee without indicating we were about to break away from the alliance. When that wire was cut, everything just went insane. I can only remember bits and pieces. Trying to find her. I know she was calling my name. Then the lightning bolt hit the tree, and the force field around the arena… blew out."

"Katniss blew it out, Peeta. You've seen the footage."

"She didn't know what she was doing. None of us could follow Beetee's plan. You can see her trying to figure out what to with that wire," Peeta snapped back. Even now, even in the Capitol he was still protecting her, still protecting Katniss.

Caesar was not one to let go though, he was there to make a point, he had been given his orders. "All right. It just looks suspicious, as if she was part of the rebels' plan all along."

Suddenly, Peeta was on his feet and leaning in close to Caesar, his hands locked onto the arms of the interviewer's chair. "Really? And was it part of her plan for Johanna to nearly kill her? For Kailani to leave her there and bleed out? For that electric shock to paralyse her? To trigger the bombing?" He yelled now, his voice bellowing through the monitor. "She didn't know, Caesar! Neither of us knew anything except that we were trying to keep each other alive!"

Caesar placed his hand on Peeta's chest, in a gesture that was both self-protective and conciliatory. "Okay, Peeta, I believe you."

"Okay." Peeta drew back from Caesar, pulling back his hands. He ran them through his hair and mussed his carefully styled blonde hair. He slumped back in his chair, distraught.

Caesar waited a moment, his eyes studying Peeta. "What about your mentor, Haymitch Abernathy?"

His face hardened, immediately. "I don't know what Haymitch knew."

"Could he have been part of the conspiracy?"

"He never mentioned it."

Caesar pressed on. "What does your heart tell you?"

"That I shouldn't have trusted him," said Peeta, "That's all."

Kailani wondered if Haymitch was seeing any of this. Coin had him in seclusion, there was no alcohol to consume in Thirteen and that had left him in a bad way. They considered him unfit for public display and until he dried up, he would have nothing to do with the war effort. Katniss hadn't gone to visit him once, she was still angry with him for keeping it all a secret from them, for letting Peeta get taken. Kailani, not so much. Her mother being taken wasn't his fault, she should never have been in the Capitol to begin with, someone should have stopped her. _She_ should have stopped her.

"We can stop now if you want," said Caesar, softly.

"Was there more to discuss?" asked Peeta, wryly.

"I was going to ask your thoughts on the war, but if you're too upset…"

"Oh, I'm not too upset to answer that." His eyes turned directly to the camera, as if staring at all of Panem. "I want everyone watching- whether you're on the Capitol or the rebel side- to stop for just a moment and think about what this war could mean. For human beings. We almost went extinct fighting one another before. Now our numbers are even fewer, our conditions more tenuous. Is this really what we want to do? Kill ourselves off completely? In the hopes that- what? Some decent species will inherit the smoking remains of the earth?"

"I don't really… I'm not sure I'm following…"

"We can't fight one another, Caesar," explained Peeta, "There won't be enough of us left to keep going. If everybody doesn't lay down their weapons- and I mean, as in _very soon_- it's all over, anyway."

"So… you're calling for a ceasefire?"

"Yes, I'm calling for a ceasefire." His voice was tired, and he sighed. "Now why don't we ask the guards to take me back to my quarters so I can build another hundred card houses?"

Caesar wrapped up the rest of the broadcast, and the usual programming resumed. The rebels, the people of District Thirteen, they were already calling Peeta _a liar, a traitor_. Kailani scowled, as if they would be any different in his situation. They hadn't been in the Hunger Games once, let alone twice, they hadn't been forced to deal with Snow personally. Victors knew, even the unexperienced ones knew, that to keep the ones they loved safe, they had to do as they were told. It was suffocating, it took everything out of you but sometimes, it just had to be done. Too much was risked, if you refused.

"You have not been dismissed, Soldier Everdeen," called Coin, her voice louder than the others. But as if that would ever stop her. Katniss didn't want to listen to this, she was already at the door and not about to stop. Boggs grabbed her arm before she could leave but Gale stepped between them, and for his troubles received an elbow to the nose.

"Enough!" yelled Cashmere, annoyed. "Just let them go, there's no point making Katniss stay."

"She's long gone anyway," said Kailani, offhandedly. Gale slipped out of the door, undoubtedly to follow Katniss, and Coin shot them both a look of displeasure.

"They have to learn to listen to orders," she said.

Kailani shook her head, "I guarantee you making her stay and listen to this lot accuse Peeta of being a traitor, won't help anyway."

"He's severely damaged the cause, we're having enough trouble getting everyone on board as it is."

"We're aware of that," said Cashmere, sharply, "But he is hardly in a position to refuse what is asked of him."

Nonetheless, Coin just shook her head and turned back to the others. She never _really_ listened to what they had to say, not unless they had useful information on the districts, on the people fighting there. She didn't appreciate the wealth of knowledge they had, whether it be strategic or personal, she just didn't care. They were listened too only when it was convenient for them, if they were to come out now defending Peeta in front of everyone, defending all of the victors that Snow had taken hostage, these people would probably laugh straight at them. They were just the pretty faces that the other districts flocked too. If it were just down to Coin, this rebellion would be going completely differently. No one would follow her, they had no reason too, they didn't know who she was and they didn't trust her. But _everyone_, knew who Kailani and Cashmere were. They had seen them on their televisions for years, their pictures plastered across newspapers and magazines. They had visited the districts on their victory tours, they knew of the trials that they had faced, more than ever since the most recent Games, and they knew of their triumphs. They were loved and adored, and without them, they would not have made nearly as much gains in territory as they had, would not have had nearly as much support. Apparently though, that counted for nothing. Cashmere scowled, and stalked out of Command. She didn't bother waiting to be _dismissed_. They fought too, they didn't just stand there and look pretty. They were sent into the districts, and they put their lives on the line. They spilt Peacekeeper blood, and lead _their_ people into victory. Kailani shook her head, but she supposed they would never amount to be anything more than tools. Without a word, she too wandered from the room. No one even noticed that they had gone, they were too busy working on strategies to "fix the mess that the boy had made for them".

The idea of a ceasefire, that was something that had caught his attention. Finnick didn't usually pay any mind to the propaganda the Capitol released on a daily basis, it held no interest to him but that interview, it had been different. He couldn't help but pause by one of the television screens as he saw Peeta up there, talking to Caesar as if he wasn't a hostage, as if it was all just a part of the Hunger Games again. Some of the people around him began to mutter and accuse Peeta of betraying them, and that kind of talk only gained ground throughout the rebels. To them, he was helping the Capitol to regain support, hurting them in the process. He didn't hear much of what was going on with the war but he knew some of the districts must have been uncertain on their decisions. After all, if they had all been for it maybe they could have just taken a vow of non-violence during the Games, maybe they could have laid down their weapons in protest rather than try and kill each other. A part of him wanted to help with the rebellion, that was what Kailani was doing, what Cashmere was doing, but he just didn't have the energy. He couldn't do it, not if Kailani were there ignoring him, pretending as if he didn't exist.

It hurt, having her avoid him as she did. Everything felt like it didn't matter, like it wasn't important. Everything felt empty without her there to brighten his day, to see the positive, to encourage him as only she could. The only thing he wanted or cared about, was having her forgive him. Yes, despite everything that she had done, he worried for Annie. He hated to think that they were torturing her on his account, that they would kill her because he had gone against the Capitol. He thought about her every day, but without Kailani by his side, it was as if a part of him was missing. He had broken her, he was no better than that bastard excuse for a partner that she had had during her Games and he understood her anger, he did. That didn't make it any easier though. She had _never_ been this angry at him before, had never acted so cold and distant towards him, to anyone actually. It wasn't who she was, at least, it hadn't been. He sighed, his shoulders slumping. Finnick was tired, he was tired of all of this. He just wanted things to be as they were again, he missed his best friend. He thought that maybe she could have been forced to talk to them if he helped more with the rebellion, but he didn't have the energy for that kind of thing. All he wanted to do was sleep the days away, it was all he ever wanted to do. Finnick still held the hope that one day, he would wake up and all of this, would turn out to be a nightmare. It hadn't happened yet though.


End file.
